Lineage
by ummbo
Summary: The descendants of Dracula's daughters have been at war for almost a century. Seras has just joined the ranks of the undead and Hellsing to stand on one side. However, she can't help but to question the violence and what role she should play.
1. Prologue

__

Author's Note: This prologue is actually useless but I love it too much to not post it.

_Disclaimer: Do you really need one? Of course I didn't create the Hellsing universe and characters. _

* * *

**LINEAGE**

**Prologue**

* * *

"Scream for me love."

The pale hand around the woman's throat pressed her harder into the cold damp wall, causing her to choke.

"Fuck you," the woman spat, followed by such imaginative language, both sailor and poet would be put to shame.

The radiant man's face twisted into a scowl, leaving no trace of the beauty that had lead thousands of women to their deaths. His hand released the pale throat which had began to bruise but any hope for air and freedom was soon crushed as the back of that same hand slammed against the woman's cheek with unearthly force, smashing her skull and knocking out whatever air was left in her lungs.

"Especially disgusting language befitting only an especially disgusting human… I was planning on giving you an easy, beautiful death but I can only expect that your blood is equally disgusting."

With that, the beautiful man sauntered over to the barely conscious woman and smashed a white heeled boot into her stomach, tearing skin and organs. A silk handkerchief was pulled out to wipe the bloody boot and the woman heard the sigh of silk as it fluttered to the ground by her head, followed by two mysterious thuds. Glancing over, blue' eye widened as they observed the beautiful man's body, his decapitated head, and black boots so shiny, they perfectly reflected the beautiful blues. Straining to look up, the woman could not see anything but a massive crimson blob. Closing her eyes against the pain, all that she could do was trust the remaining minutes of her life to this stranger.

"You have lost too much blood, you will die," the newcomer blandly stated. "Do you wish to die?"

"No," the woman breathed.

"Then drink. Forever live your life in darkness, forever a cursed creature, forever a vampire."

With that, something cool was pressed to pale, bloodless lips and the woman sucked readily at the cool, sweet liquid that quenched a thirst that was previously unknown to her. Too soon, the sweet ambrosia was denied and her' eyes opened in confusion to take in the image of an emotionless man in a red suit.

"What is your name, little one?"

"Seras."

"An unusual name. It matches. Sleep, Seras."

But Seras did not need to be told. She was already asleep.

* * *

Seras opened her eyes to see nothing but black. Lazily wondering if one can say that seeing the absence of light is truly seeing, the images of last night slowly returned. Marveling at the clarity of her dream and the fact that it was so realistic that she had a ghostly ache where the beautiful man had drove his heel 

into her stomach, Seras laid a delicate hand over the ache to feel rough fabric. Seras gasped and bolted upright. It was gauze bandage and the pain was real.

Confused and afraid, the loss of her vision seemed to her to be torture. Her eyes were dry and ached as they strained against the darkness. Closing her eyes in defeat, Seras took long calming breaths although they seemed to have no effect on her racing heart.

"Panicking is worse than crying," she repeated like a mantra. Tears came but she was thankful because at least they soothed her eyes and calmed her mind.

"There is no darkness like this, I must have gone blind," she thought sadly. "At least I'm still alive. Pain is proof enough of that."

In the middle of her musings about life and pain, Seras realized that she could hear soft, rhythmic patters. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that they were footsteps and they were coming closer. Perhaps the beautiful man was not dead after all. Or perhaps the man in red was keeping her to torture in retaliation for the beautiful man's death. She had wanted him dead after all. Maybe the man in red assumed that she killed him. Or perhaps she did indeed kill him. Time seemed to slow as the footsteps stopped and time seemed to slow as a door clicked as it was opened, flooding the room with light from the hall. Seras was blind again but she was thankful. She knew this pain and blindness was only temporary. She was not condemned to forever live in the dark after all.

"Please relax. You are safe," said the silhouetted figure.

Despite this assertion and man's calming voice, Seras could not relax. Especially since the shadowed figure began to torture her nose with the sharp smell of sulfur as candles were lit.

"I apologize my use of matches. I know how sensitive your nose is but I seemed to have misplaced my lighter. My name is Walter Dornez. I am the retainer of the Hellsing family and you are currently at the Hellsing Mansion."

The dashing elderly man smiled and despite knowing that the smile was fake and that appearances can be decieving, Seras could not help but relax just a bit.

"As I'm sure you have noticed, I took the liberty of undressing you and tending your wounds."

As a matter of fact, Seras had not noticed. With a blush, she modestly pulled the sheets over herself.

"The bathroom is through that door. I will leave so that you may make yourself presentable and then I will answer all your questions to the best of my abilities because I assume your master will not."

"Master?" Seras ventured.

"That is what you should call the one who saved you from death a human death. You are like his apprentice, of sorts," Walter explained.

"The man in red," breathed Seras.

"Alucard."

* * *


	2. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is my first fic. Not just my first fanfic. This is my first work of fiction EVER. Please review. I would love constructive criticism. _

**_LINEAGE_**

**_Chapter 1_**

Seras followed a few steps behind Walter, who had sense enough to be walking at an unusual slow pace, allowing Seras to absorb all that had transpired. She could no longer walk in the sun. As such, it was decided that she could no longer work as a police officer so would therefore work for Hellsing. Except now that she thought about it, it wasn't true. She could have worked as an officer during the night shift. But what could she do? She had already signed the contract set before by the intimidating woman who called herself Sir Hellsing. She had been intimidated into believing something that was not true and signing a contract that she had barely glanced at.

Integral Hellsing. What kind of person was she? From what little time she had spent with her, Seras could glean no personal information from her. There were no personal possessions on display on her desk and all of her few words were diplomatic and to the point. She was clearly unsympathetic to Seras' situation although she had offered words of condolences. She was cold. Like ice.

"I could have worked the nightshift," Seras murmured.

"Yes," Walter agreed, "but Sir Integral wanted to get the contract signed and you out of her office as soon as possible."

Although she knew she couldn't rely on a man she just met, Seras could not help but feel betrayed. How could he stand by during such manipulation?

"But I assure you that it is for the best. Hellsing will pay you much more than you were earning before and by working with us, you will still be able to prevent crimes. More heinous crimes, I believe, than you had as a police officer. Also, we will teach you to handle your current situation. We have a councilor that you may talk to should you wish and we have training programs to help you manage your new powers and cravings. As Sir Integral explained, Hellsing was established to protect humans from vampires. We destroy any who kill humans and if you don't receive our training, you may end up accidentally killing someone in bloodlust."

"So all new vampires are forced to work for Hellsing?" Seras scoffed. "You claim to prevent crimes but you operate like criminals, through intimidation and violence."

"No," Walter calmly replied, taking no offense at Seras' accusation. "You just do not understand the situation. I will leave a couple of books in your room, including one on vampire history. We can continue this conversation when you are properly educated."

"Or brainwashed," muttered Seras.

* * *

_It is not known from where vampires originated although there is no account of them in history before the late fifteenth century, during the time of Prince Vlad III __Tepes__ of __Wachalla__, or as he is more commonly known, Count Dracula. It is not known whether Dracula was the first of the species but no vampire is known who can trace their lineage past him. _

_..._

_Dracula is only known to have sired five vampires during his four-hundred seventeen year undead life. These were __Evere__, the mother, __Morigan__, the warrior, Selene the compassionate, Lucy __Westernra__, and __Wilhemina__ "Mina" __Harker__. Only __Morigan__ and Selene continued the bloodline. _

…

_The line of Selene has been associated with __Hellsing__ since 1917, when they joined forces to destroy an especially violent faction of Morigan's line, which had joined the Central Powers during World War I. This faction, lead by __Lodhi__ of Morigan traveled into Allied territory to kill civilians indiscriminately, leaving ghouls wherever they went. _

…

_Currently the line of __Morigan__ outnumbers the line of Selene by at least two hundred to one despite the rate at which __Hellsing__ is forced to destroy members of the line of Morigan for their crimes. _

_..._

Seras put down the book and leaned back in her chair.

"Hellsing sounds so righteous. Wonder how much of this history book is true and how much is twisted to fit their purposes," Seras wondered aloud.

Suddenly, Seras felt a chill and intuitively spun to her left. What she saw froze her already cold blood. The shadows around her feet twisted and elongated to produce the shadowy figure of the man in red.

"M-master," Seras whispered. Finally overcoming her shock, she bowed and presented her neck.

Alucard grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"No need for such formality, Police Girl, though you may call me Master if you wish. All those books are produced by Hellsing. The book on culture only pertains to culture as established by Selene. Those not of her line do not follow it. Of course the history is presented from their point of view so presents Morigan and her followers in a bad light. Morigan was a great woman."

Alucard stared at the book wistfully and although Seras was hesitant to interrupting his musings, her curiosity got the best of her.

"So we are not of Selene?"

Alucard turned to Seras with a smirk. "What a silly question."

And with that, Alucard disappeared the way he came, through the floor.

* * *

"Alucard."

"Yes Master?"

Alucard phased in through Sir Integral's desk. Unfortunately for Alucard, she was not even flustered. She merely pursed her lips in annoyance and pushed her chair back to get a better look at him. It was disappointing how none of his antics failed to surprise her any more.

"Walter has reported to me that your fledgling seems rebellious and contemptuous of our ways. Make sure to keep her in line. We cannot have a weak link in this establishment."

"Don't worry. She will see the light and know her true enemy."

Integral's ice blue eyes quickly flashed to Alucard's.

"Was that an agreement? You know she is your responsibility and that I can punish you much more effectively than I can her. In fact, I am more inclined to punish you for any of her actions."

Alucard smirked.

"She will not displease you."

And like that, Alucard phased away, knowing how it annoyed Sir Integral that he never waited for her dismissal.

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's note:** I had made a mistake during my original post of chapter 1, which is now fixed. Lodhi's master was Morigan, not Selene. Sorry for any confusion this caused and thank you Darkknight for pointing it out. I had the plot of this story mapped already but the more I look at it, the more I change and add to it, making the story more complex than I had planned. As such, I might sometimes get details mixed up. _

* * *

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 2**

Seras walked into what Walter had pointed out to be a vampires' lounge. She had only spent one night alone aside from her master's quick visit and she was already craving company.

According to one of the books that Walter had brought her, vampires were ordinarily very solitary creatures. She must not be a very "good" one then. Somehow, Seras was relieved at that because of what she read about vampires in her book. Perhaps Hellsing was actually biased against vampires despite working with them because all of the books painted vampires in a somewhat negative light. Reading between the lines, they suggested that vampires were savage, overly proud, and naturally violent creatures. Only through training (of the Hellsing brand) could they be acceptable members of society.

Seras sighed when she found that the lounge was empty and sunk into a crimson plush armchair. Scowling at all the crimson and ebony furniture, Seras noted that it was not such a change in scenery from her own. Were all vampires obsessed with the colors black and red?

_Police Girl_

Seras spun in all directions but could not find the source of her master's voice. Only then did she realize that her master was speaking to her telepathically.

_Be careful. You have the power to think and do as you wish but it would displease me if Walter, and through him Integral, knew that my fledgling had spoken or worked against Hellsing or its ideals. If you displease me, you might never earn my favor again._

Despite her master's even and bored tone, Seras shivered at the subtle threat. According to the books, vampires believe that they have the right to take back the undead life they gave. Therefore, if her master ever decided to kill her, her life was forfeit. A master always knows where their fledgling is until the fledgling is released from servitude.

Deciding that she needed fresh air to calm her fears, Seras walked upstairs to the ground level to exit the building. The basement hallways were monotonous with its dreary stone wall and floors, closed doors, and dripping candle candelabras. However, the ground level hallways were fascinating. They were filled with works of art, rich carpets and open doors presented glimpses of rooms that were works of art in their own right.

Peering into an especially ornate door, Seras was surprised to see what appeared to be a little girl with her back to the door. Slowly, the little girl turned around and Seras could have sworn that the little girl could see her soul. With her rounded face, chubby arms, blonde ringlets, and white lace dress, the little girl looked nothing but innocent. However, her crimson eyes were sharp and spoke of great wisdom.

"Hello, child. Come in and sit with me."

Little hands patted a spot on the cream rococo sofa and while Seras obediently sat there, she took in the room. It was a bedroom suite much bigger than her own and had intricately carved walls, an ornate mantle, and a wide window overlooking a garden.

"I am Marigold of Pierre although you may call me Marie." Marie gave Seras a nod and grandmotherly smile that seemed out of place on such a youthful face. Seras could not help but stare.

"I am Seras of Alucard. Are you a Hellsing vampire too?" Seras asked.

"Of course, dear. Note the eyes."

Marie continued to smile as Seras blushed.

"Although," Marie continued, "I do not get sent on hunting missions because of my size, I sometimes do reconnaissance and am the organization's vampiric power trainer."

"But why is it that you are above ground and have a window?" Asked Seras.

"You become stronger as you get older. Sunlight can still burn me but it is not such a problem anymore. Seeing the sunrise, sunset, and night sky is worth the discomfort, I believe. Also, I know I am safe in my coffin because I can tell whenever anybody nears and enters my room. No matter how sneaky they are. For example, I know that Alucard entered the room as you crossed the threshold."

Seras' eyes widened and she swung her head back and forth trying to find her master. But she couldn't find him. Where was he?

"Calm down and close your eyes. As a human, you have come to overly rely on your eyes. Follow your instincts, dear," Marie supplied.

Seras did as told and lifted her head to the ceiling although her brain told her that he couldn't possibly be there. Seras gasped when she opened her eyes to find red eyes on the ceiling staring at her. The shadow and eyes on the ceiling then stretched down like goo to deposit her master in front of her.

"Good job on finding me, Police Girl. Come and train."

With that, Alucard disappeared, without a single acknowledgment to Marie.

Embarrassed by her master's rudeness, Seras looked at Marie, who was still smiling.

"Alucard has never been one for manners or our customs. I am used to it," Marie explained. "Don't keep him waiting dear. This is quite an opportunity. I believe you are his first fledgling and his first trainee. Alucard has constantly refused to train others and most Selenic vampires don't personally train their fledglings anymore. I am happily surprised that Alucard is keeping to the old ways."

"I won't keep to it for long if you keep me waiting, Police Girl," Alucard called.

Hearing that, Seras rushed out of the room after giving Marie a bow.

"Why did you turn her, Alucard?" Marie asked the air.

* * *

Seras shrugged her shoulder, releasing some of the tension caused by holding her cannon, the Harkonnen. Although it was surprisingly light, holding it while leaning on her side out of a window was not at all comfortable. It would be more tactile for her to have been on the roof of this building but Seras suspected that her master wanted to watch her suffer from the comfort of an armchair.

Seras was on her first mission, accompanied by Alucard. Their objective was to watch for a vampire reportedly coming their way on a motorcycle and to take her out before she could reach London. Seras didn't know any details but this sounded an awful lot like an assassination mission to her.

Seras tensed as she saw a speck leave the cover of the trees, moving at great speed producing a haze of dust behind it. She hoped it was not the vampire although should she have chosen to fully use her new eyesight and hearing, she would have known for sure that it was.

"Shoot her, Police Girl."

"I-I can't."

"You have shot targets further than that before."

"She's moving."

"You've shot moving targets before."

"I just can't!"

Seras saw her master's brow furrow and at that moment, he frightened her more than he ever had before. The only shows of emotion that she had ever seen on his face were either smirks or grins. He may have been displeased with her before but she had never visually expressed it. In a blink, he disappeared and reappeared behind Seras.

"Hellsing has no use for a vampire who can't kill," Alucard's voice whispered in Seras' ear, causing her to shiver. The voice was so low that undoubtedly, without her vampiric hearing, Seras would not have heard it.

"If it helps, that vampire killed her own child."

"It could have been an accident."

"Indeed," Alucard agreed before placing his teeth against Seras' throat.

_I told you to be careful. Walter also has eyes and ears outside the mansion. Shoot the woman. If you don't kill her, someone else will and you can't protect the innocent if you don't exist, Police Girl. _

Despite her swimming red vision and trembling lip, Seras did her best to aim her Harkonnen. Unfortunately, the longer she delayed firing the weapon, the further the trembling spread. Seras knew that if it continued, she could not give the woman a clean and easy death so held her breath and pulled the trigger.

_Vampires don't need to breathe. _

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Seras lay in her open coffin and stared at the ceiling despite the risen sun urging her to sleep. After all this time, she could never bring herself to act like a true vampire. She had never closed her coffin in the morning to sleep and had never drunken blood, despite her master's disapproval and her questionable desire to please him. On these things, her master had been patient but it seemed like killing was where he drew the line. She had to kill.

During what little time Seras spent with her master training, Seras had come to trust and respect him. He rarely spoke unless to criticize harshly but his criticism was always constructive. He was never cruel although never kind. During their sparing matches, he always pushed her to the limit but was careful not to hurt her. He never blatantly threatened her before that night.

Why did she want her master's approval so badly anyways? How could she have come to respect a vampire who condemned a woman for killing her child, something that could have been an accident, only to turn around to threaten their fledgling? In a way, wasn't she his child?

"I wish I had someone to talk to," Seras whispered.

A few minutes later, Seras was surprised by a knock at her door. Swinging herself out of her coffin, Seras went to open the door. In the corner of her eye, Seras saw something glitter. Turning her head to the corner where she saw the gleam, she could not find the source. Dismissing it as a trick of the flickering candlelight, Seras grabbed the doorknob and pulled to see the gently smiling face of Walter.

"I've brought you some blood," Walter said, offering Seras an ice bucket with medical blood.

Seras scowled, taking the bucket and turning to put it on the small table in the middle of her simple room. Despite the fact that he knew Seras never drank blood, Walter still insisted on bringing her some. He always brought it sometime in the day while she was asleep so it was there when she woke up only to take it away a few hours later when it was neglected.

"You should be asleep, Miss Victoria. Is something bothering you? Would you like someone to talk to?"

Seras froze. Was it only a coincidence that only a few minutes earlier she had said aloud that she wanted to talk to someone? _Walter also has eyes and ears outside the mansion, _Seras remembered her master saying. That implied there were eyes and ears in the mansion. Was her room bugged? Indeed, it made no sense for Walter to bring the blood when the sun had just risen an hour ago. The ice would thaw and the blood might spoil by the time she woke up.

What could she do with Walter? She should just play along. This could be a great opportunity to throw him off the scent of her discontent. Hopefully, her acting skills hadn't degraded so much since school.

Seras turned around and gave Walter a grim smile. Sitting down, she sighed.

"That would be nice, Walter."

"What is bothering you, Miss Victoria?" Walter asked, taking a seat across from Seras.

"It's just that today was my first kill. I feel like I just lost a piece of my humanity. It feels like I'm on my way to being the bloodthirsty monsters that I am supposed to kill. It feels like I'm a step closer to losing myself and killing innocents indiscriminately. I tell myself that it's not true, that I am better than them because I'm killing with a purpose, to prevent crime, but am I?"

Seras didn't know how much of what she said was a truth and how much a lie. Once she opened her mouth, the words just started pouring out. Thankfully, she was able to keep her tone unsure, not revealing her true feeling of resentment. She must have succeeded in her deceit because Walter smiled patronizingly at her.

"Of course you are different from those monsters. It is exactly as you say. Your fears are completely unfounded as long as you stay with us at Hellsing. We will train you to control your natural inclinations and you will never lose yourself in the violence of your species."

Seras smiled through her anger.

"Thank you, Walter. You've really made me feel better. I think I can go to sleep now."

Walter left and for the first time, Seras closed her coffin to rest. Now that she was sure that her room was bugged, she didn't feel comfortable with it open, knowing that someone was watching her in her sleep.

* * *

The sounds of the city bombarded Seras' ears as she left the convenience store and wandered onto the desolate streets with her shopping bags. Surprisingly, her menses continued even into her undead life. It embarrassed her that her master probably could tell. Fortunately, her master hadn't called her to train tonight. Usually, Seras spent all of her off nights training but it would have been too awkward to see her master so soon after last night, when he threatened her life during the mission.

If Seras had only abandoned her humanistic ideals and tendencies and resigned herself to drinking blood, she wouldn't have been so weak that she lost all of her vampiric abilities, leaving her as weak and dull-sensed as a human. If she had drunk blood, she would have known that she was being followed and wouldn't have walked into the shadowy alleyway. If she had drunk blood, she would have been able to fight her attacker. And if she had abandoned her human habits, she would not have breathed in chloroform.

* * *

Seras's eyes lazily opened to find herself on her stomach on a cold concrete floor. She could not see anything in the gloom of the room but the whimpers of several women echoed throughout it. Suddenly, a door was thrown open with an earsplitting screech, lighting the room and allowing a shadowed figure entrance. Several of the dozen women in the room started crying and tried to disappear into the far wall while Seras stared dumbly at the bloody mass of women in shock. In a corner of the room, was a rotting corpse covered in rats. In her shock and with her chloroform clouded mind, Seras barely noticed when the shadowed figure grabbed her by the neck and dragged her from the room.

Slowly, Seras' mind cleared and she fought at the hand at her neck. She didn't have to fight long though because it quickly released her and she was thrown into a large chamber. Seras landed on her shoulder with a moan and quickly looked around to find herself at the heeled feet of a red eyed woman.

"Ah. Thanks for bringing dinner, Alan."

The brunette woman nodded at the man in the doorway as she reached down to grab Seras' arm, bringing her eyelevel. Seras' eyes widened as she realized that the woman meant to drink from her.

"You can't drink from me, a fellow vampire!" Seras yelled. Although she didn't know if vampires did drink from their fellows, it was the only thing she could think of to halt the approach of her captor's teeth.

The brunette laughed.

"Liar. I can smell you bleeding. Nice try though."

The woman moved towards Seras' neck again and she could smell eminent death.

"MASTER!" Seras screamed in fear.

Seras wasn't sure why she screamed from her master when she was sure he probably couldn't hear her with the great distance from the mansion. Suddenly, Seras hit a wall and her head hit it with a sickening crack. Stars danced around her eyes as she realized what had happened. In her fright, she had screamed into the other vampire's ear.

Alan, the male vampire that had brought Seras into the room laughed as the brunette clutched her head in pain. She snarled at the male, clearly not amused, before stalking towards Seras. Seras whimpered and pushed herself against the wall.

With half a mind, Seras wondered why she felt such fear for this vampire when she was able to spit in the face of the vampire who had led to her first death. There was just something about this vampire. She seemed to radiate greatness.

"MASTER!" Seras screamed again.

"Why so loud, Police Girl?"

Both female vampires turned to the hallway to see Alucard standing behind Alan. In Alan's case, he didn't see anything more than a bullet before it entered through his right eye and into his brain.

"Alan! You will die, Hellsing dog!" Shrieked the brunette, rushing towards Alucard.

Seras could barely trace the other female's movement and apparently, neither could Alucard because she managed to land blow after blow on him. Alucard's face was a bloody mess and although Seras could tell his attacker was using a great amount of force, Alucard hadn't budged an inch from where he stood. Instead, he laughed before flinging Lorena towards the middle of the room.

"Is that all you've got, Lorena?" Alucard taunted, causing the other vampire to growl.

"No. Not even close. I've grown since you've last seen me and I know your real powers are sealed." Lorena replied.

The shadows around Lorena's feet stretched up and danced like flames and her hands were covered in it. Alucard fired a few rounds at Lorena but she dodged them all and sent a ball of shadow back at him.

"Impressive, little girl," Alucard chuckled.

Alucard raised his hand and made a rectangle with his thumb and forefingers.

"Invocation of Cromwell confirmed. Levels 3 and 2 released," Alucard declared.

Seras did not know what that meant but the room darkened and a chill traveled down her spine. The chill was quickly explained when she looked back at Alucard. Figuratively speaking, while Seras' fear for Lorena paralyzed her, fear for Alucard relaxed all her muscles including her bowels.

Alucard was nothing but a growing mass of shadows and red eyes. A tentacle shot from the center of the mass towards Lorena and she reacted by throwing a ball of shadow at it. It retracted as if in pain but another tentacle quickly shot out to replace it, this one with a mouth and jagged teeth. This latched onto Lorena's outstretched arm and took it off up to the elbow.

Lorena shrieked and fell backwards, clutching at her stub of an elbow only to have the mouth take her other arm as well.

"Why isn't it growing back?" She cried.

The mass of shadow grew a large mouth and laughed.

"Because I've eaten it, little girl."

The shadow slunk towards the new sobbing Lorena and a pointed tongue slid out from the mouth to lick up her bloody tears.

"Now tell me. Where is your sire?"

"I don't know," Lorena sobbed.

"You're lying."

The shadow wrapped itself like a snake around Lorena and the mouth bit off her ear.

"All I know is that he's gone to hunt his grandsire," Lorena forced out between sobs.

"Thank you, Lorena."

The shadow mouth widened and swallowed what was left of Lorena whole before it seemed to fold into itself and disappear.

Seras gasped when her master appeared in front of her.

"I'm disappointed in you, Police Girl."

Blood tears filled Seras' eyes. Although she knew that she disappointed her master, hearing it hurt more than a boot in the gut.

"Blood is power and your blood is much stronger than Lorena's was. You could hunt thousands of vampires like her. If only you drink blood…"

"Could I be as strong as you?" Seras asked.

"You could be stronger than I was today. Now let's go home, my beautiful actress. I have to report to my _dear master_."


	5. Chapter 4

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 4**

Alucard leaned against the wall of Sir Integral's study as her eyes flew over pages and pages of reports. Mission reports, health reports, news reports; any report pertaining to her organization was personally read. Every night, a meter-high stack of papers were brought into her office and every morning, the whole stack was brought out for incineration. Though most would find reading so much every night impossible, it was simple for the genius Hellsing. The only information-gathering that she ever delegated to another, namely Walter, related to the fields of psychology and sociology. As a child, Sir Integral had no peers to speak of. Her intense training left little time to socialize and when she did find the time, she could not find peers with whom she mentally connected. Children her age seemed to be more interested in games than literature and philosophical discussion and adults either looked down upon her or were intimidated by her intellect. Because of this, she had withdrawn from society early in her life. Now, no matter how long she studied psychology or how hard she tried to interact with other people, she could not understand or relate to them.

"Will you report tonight's events to me or will you stare all night?" Integral asked, during the while finishing two pages.

"I'm sorry Master. Your intelligence and beauty took my breath away and rendered me speechless."

Integral's eyes narrowed as she looked up at Alucard's grinning face. What was the purpose of that statement? Although Alucard's voice did not contain that jilted tone that usually denoted sarcasm, that compliment could not be honest. It was too sugary and she knew Alucard didn't breathe. Maybe he was trying to flatter her. But why would he do that? Sycophants used flattery to seek favors from those in power. Although she was in power, he was not a sycophant. That didn't mean that he couldn't use the same tactics though. But what could he want and why did he grin? Alucard only grinned like that at the expense of others. That meant that the compliment was presented to be at her expense. But how could a compliment be detrimental? Integral set the situation aside for further analyzation afterwards.

"Well?" Integral asked.

"As I'm sure you know," Alucard began, "Seras Victoria has not been drinking blood. As such, she was weakened and unable to fight back when mistaken for a human and assaulted. She was then brought back to the lair of Lorena of Rosiel where she called for my help. I then came to assist her by releasing all of Lorena's human prisoners and destroying both Lorena and her fledgling."

"We have no use for a vampire who is so weak, she is mistaken for a human," Integral frowned.

"I assure you master, she will drink blood soon and her powers will grow exponentially."

"If it gets to be a good fraction of Marigold's level, her powers will also need to be sealed," Integral mused.

"Then she will not be sealed. Marigold's blood is just as strong as Lorena's was."

* * *

Seras laid in her coffin thinking into the morning again.

Why did her master call Sir Integral master? Their relationship could not be of master and apprentice like hers and her master because what could a human teach such a powerful vampire? Was their relationship that of master and slave? Perhaps he was being forced to serve Hellsing through some sorcery. Why did her master serve Hellsing when he seemed not to personally care for the organization? Perhaps her master and Sir Integral were lovers and he did it as a favor to her. Walter had mentioned that before she arrived, her master had spent hours of his off nights in Sir Integral's office. Seras pushed that thought aside. It must just be because he enjoys the many battles that Hellsing helps him find. From what she's seen of her master, Seras knew that he loved power, blood, and fighting. He was a great warrior seeking Valhalla.

Seras wondered if she could also become a great warrior like her master. Her master said blood was power. Her blood was powerful and would be more so if she drank blood. Blood would give her the power to hunt down those like Lorena, who locked unknown numbers of women into dark chambers to await death. It would give her powers greater than what she saw displayed by her master. Such frightening power… And power corrupts. What if she lost herself in her power and became like Lorena? No. That would not happen and if it did, she knew Hellsing would destroy her. She wasn't sure if that was a reassurance or not.

She would become a warrior, Seras decided. She would become a vampire her master could be proud of and hunt down those like Lorena. She would drink blood.

Seras pushed herself out of her coffin and went to sit at her table. Her blood wasn't there yet. She would need to order it.

Clenching her fists, Seras brought her fists down onto the table, back straight and eyes aflame.

"I will drink blood and I will become strong so I can hunt down monsters like Lorena." Seras declared, mouth set in a determined line. "I am from the noble line of Selene and I will continue her great work and hunt down all those who threaten human lives."

Five minutes after her declaration, Seras opened the door to admit Walter with her blood.

"I have decided to drink blood so that I may have the power to hunt down those monsters who would take human lives, Walter." Seras restated, as if she didn't know Walter had been spying on her.

Walter smiled proudly.

"I am glad. I was getting worried because you were becoming so weak. Not drinking everyday is bad for your health. Here, I've brought you your blood for tonight."

Seras took the tray Walter was carrying on his hands and set it on the table. On it were the usual ice bucket with blood but tonight, there was also a crystal goblet. She assumed it was so that she could pour the blood into the goblet and drink from the goblet, maintaining some semblance of civility. Walter probably never brought it before because he assumed that she who wouldn't mind just biting like a savage monster. Her self-righteousness must have humanized her in his eyes. Or maybe it was a test to see if she could maintain her control at the sight of blood and actually use the goblet. Although sometimes, Walter was quite transparent, other times, his cunning was amazing.

Seras picked up the bag of blood and used a nail to tear it, pouring the blood into the goblet. Taking a tissue, she then wiped the blood off her nail and hesitatingly picked up the goblet. Looking up at Walter, she returned his encouraging smile with a hesitant one of her own. Slowly, Seras raised the goblet up to her lips and took a sip.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Walter asked.

"It was," Seras returned.

Raising the goblet, Seras grimaced as she downed the rest.

Seras shuddered. Truthfully, the blood was as delicious as the best and most expensive chocolate she had ever eaten and warmed her more than the strongest whisky but Walter could not know that.

Seras set the goblet back onto the tray and smiled grimly as she handed it back to Walter.

"Thank you for being here," Seras said, donning the mask of an unsure child.

"No. Thank you for your strength, Miss Victoria," Walter replied before leaving the room.

Seras smiled triumphantly, climbing into her coffin.

_No. Thank you for your performance, my beautiful actress. _


	6. Chapter 5

Seras studied the manor house in front of where she and her master had arrived. The grounds looked like they hadn't been tended in a century. The wildlife was beginning to reclaim the property, vines covered the whole house and trees tried to obscure it from view. Despite the disorder prevalent in this scene, Seras could not help but smile. She thought things more beautiful in their natural wild state than when humans tried to tame them.

Tonight, just as Seras was pulling herself out of her coffin, her master had materialized in her room and announced that they would be training in the art of reconnaissance. Despite forcing her out of her Hellsing uniform and into casual wear, Alucard did little to change his own appearance. As such, he would still stick out like a sore thumb in any crowd. Thankfully, they had seen no crowd but with no crowd to blend into but Seras wondered how they were going to train.

**What are we doing here, Master? **

_Now that you have drunken blood, your real training may begin. _

Seras jumped, not expecting her master to respond. Apparently, she had gained the power to speak telepathically when she drank blood.

_Now that you can speak telepathically, any sensitive information will be exchanged by this means. Only public and misinformation will be shared through speech for the humans' benefit. You will keep your purpose and presence here unknown to Hellsing, speaking only through the mind while in this house. _

**Yes, Master. **

As they were approaching the house, the front door opened seemingly of its own accord, surprising Seras. Although she had sensed something, she had not seen or heard anybody. Alucard however, seemed totally unaffected by the mysterious door and just continued inside, a ruffled Seras following at his heels. He quickly strode through the hallways as if it were his own home, not waiting to be received or pausing as if to decide which hallways were the correct ones. After many disorientating changes in direction, Alucard and Seras found themselves in front of a simple door, from which American gospel music could be heard. Alucard pushed it open and they both entered the small room, seeing a blonde vampire sitting in an armchair. Seras didn't know how she knew the man was a vampire. Instead of crimson eyes, he had milky gray ones.

The man in the chair stood and bowed to Alucard, exposing his neck. Once again, Seras was shocked. According to the Hellsing book on vampire culture, vampires only bowed like that to those of whom they were descendant from and Marigold had told her that she was Alucard's first fledgling. Because males could only turn females, Seras deduced that the her master had to be his grandshire or greater.

My Lord, how may I serve you? The man asked.

_Uriel, this is my fledgling, Seras Victoria. I need you to train her. _

Uriel turned and brought Seras' hand to his lips. Looking at him, Seras realized that he was blind.

Ah, you are a woman of indescribable beauty. It will be my privilege to train you. 

**How can you tell? I'm sorry. That was rude of me. **

Seras blushed and Uriel mentally laughed.

It's alright. As I'm sure you agree, beauty is determined with more than the eyes. I may be blind but I have other senses that allow me to "see." I see your power and it is magnificent. 

Seras nodded, still blushing before turning to her master.

**Why won't you be training me?**

_You must keep your true powers hidden from Hellsing or you will have them sealed, like mine are. Integral will become suspicious if I ask for my powers to be released and not have a corpse to show for it._

**What do you mean your powers are sealed?**

_I can use but a fraction of my true power without direct approval from the head of Hellsing family. Abram Van Hellsing put these chains on me and I have tried for generations but have been unable to free myself. Upon the death of one head, control is then immediately transferred to the next. _

Seras frowned. So that was why her master served Hellsing. He was enslaved. To Seras, there was nothing worse than the loss of freedom so at that moment, despite her usually gentle nature, Seras wished she could bring Abram back from the dead to cause him immense and everlasting pain.

_From now on until you have been deemed to have mastered your dark powers, you will come here on your off nights to train._

**Yes, Master. **

* * *

Sir Integral Hellsing looked up at Alucard, who had taken up his usual spot on the wall.

"Where is Miss Victoria?" she asked.

Alucard grinned at her.

"I left her whacking a mole. He is filled with information and I want her to stay until he is flaccid. She's a working girl now. From now on, I will be sending her on these types of jobs on her off days."

Sir Integral nodded. Nothing of what Alucard had said had bothered her, all the innuendos having flown over her head. To her, it was a perfectly acceptable idea that Seras Victoria would make use of her free time by collecting information.


	7. Chapter 6

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Uriel stood alone in the frighteningly dark room. Even if his vampiric eyes could see, he wouldn't have been able to see anything but his own glowing hands. The shadows seemed to engulf everything but his body, including his clothing. Thankfully, he had a sixth sense, an inner third eye that could tell him more than humans could even imagine and partially filled in the gap left by his milky eyes.

Uriel smiled and walked a few paces to his left, carefully maneuvering around the furniture. Even the keenest eyes would have failed in finding Seras but his sixth sense would not be fooled. Raising a glowing hand, Uriel let it fall where he sensed Seras' head, only to have it meet a shoulder. His smile became a little wider.

Seras frowned, calling the shadows back into herself. She had been working on using her powers to deprive others of their senses for days but it appeared that she was making little progress. Despite Uriel's constant assurance that her powers were coming along very well, she always felt like a failure. She had to master her powers perfectly and gain the much deserved praise of her master. She wanted to be more than "better than many" to her master. She wanted him to respect her and be proud of her despite her continual reluctance to kill.

A couple of days over a couple of months with Uriel did not seem enough. She wanted more time, more knowledge, and more control. Unfortunately, she still had to work for Hellsing and maintain the guise of the perfect mindless soldier.

Very good, Seras. You had managed to completely block out sound and touch. I could barely sense you with my third eye but even what I sensed was a bit off. I had meant to place my hand on your head, not shoulder. Most vampires would not have been completely disorientated and would not have found you.

**Which means I still did not do well enough. **

As expected, Seras took a seat on her usual armchair, began to slouch, and mentally sung along to whatever was playing on the stereo. This time, it was the American Rock band, Rage Against the Machine's song, "Killing in the Name." As expected, Uriel took the armchair across from her, cocked his head to the right, and raised his left eyebrow. After spending so much time together, each person knew the other's habits. Despite this, Seras did not know much about Uriel's past. She knew what he deemed important, such as how Uriel was confined to this manor's property by Luthor Hellsing after World War I using sorcery and how he was still audibly monitored by the Hellsing organization, hence the need for silence. She also was able to learn what he mentioned in passing, like how Luthor was murdered a few days after his imprisonment. These tidbits usually confused her but she prized them nonetheless. Sometimes, when Uriel had a certain distant look on his face, like the one he did now, Seras could worm a few more out of him, but normally, he was a shut book.

**How long did you spend under your master until she released you? **

Only four years, Uriel replied sadly. If only it were longer. She only offered me her blood because she knew she was dying.

**I'm sorry.**

It's alright. She fought well. But she was too gentle for battle. Just her slight hesitation while delivering the killing blow was all that Rosiel needed to escape death and kill her. That is why I worry for you. You are gentle like she was. 

Seras' eyes widened. Hellsing's history book told horror stories about Rosiel. He was the vampire who started World War I and whose death ended it. He committed many horrible deeds culminating in the single-handed slaughter of five hundred soldiers in one night, followed by the killing of all of Selene's sons.

**At least Selene killed Rosiel, **Seras offered.

Uriel frowned, confusing Seras. She thought that Uriel would be pacified by that thought.

She did not. I just said that Rosiel escaped death. 

**She may have escaped your master but he did not escape Selene. **

My master was Selene.

**What! But my history book said that Selene killed Rosiel before retreating from society, never to be heard from again after her sons died. **

Your history book obviously lied, as I am sitting here right now, Uriel remarked dryly.

**Why would Hellsing lie about that?**

It helps them brainwash their vampires by claiming that their hero fought and won a glorious battle, not died in a pointless one that they helped start. 

**I wouldn't call a battle ending World War I a pointless battle.**

The battle didn't end the war. Selene's death did. And if they hadn't brought Selene into human politics, the war wouldn't have started anyways. 

**I don't understand. I thought the war was started because of the murder of Francis Ferdinand. **

Yes but Francis Ferdinand was murdered by Gavirilo Princip because Selene convinced the Prince to accept a policy of openness towards vampires, something quite radical, as you can imagine. To appease Hellsing and protect her clan, Selene had to bring them the head of Princip but Princip was protected by Rosiel so in trying to appease the humans, Selene made Rosiel her enemy. 

**So who started World War I?**

It's hard place the blame on one person. Although I love her, I can't say that Selene was not at all at fault. 

Both vampires fell into silent thought. While Uriel lamented that it had been ninety years to that night that he lost Selene, Seras rethought all of her opinions on Morigan's followers and her reasons for killing them.

* * *

Seras strolled along a silent first floor corridor of the Hellsing mansion. Tonight was a beautiful night. The sky was clear and the moon was full. As such, it would be a night of bloodshed. All of the other Hellsing operatives had already left to patrol the streets but Seras was trying to put off the sight of blood for as long as possible. Doing her best to enjoy the night, Seras took in the sounds of the night. Absently, she registered the wind blowing through the gardens, the flutter and hoot of an owl a few hundred meters away, and the voice of Marie and Sir Integral.

Seras tried not to listen to Marie and Sir Integra's conversation but her curiosity got the best of her. The only time Sir Integral ever received people in her office was to assign a mission and to her knowledge, Marie was never assigned a mission during her stay there.

"He knows too much. He's dangerous. Can you take him out?" Sir Integral asked.

"I believe I can. His blood is stronger but I have quite an advantage and quite a number of years in battle experience." Marie answered.

"Good. Now paint the night red."


	8. Chapter 7

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Seras skipped down the lonely country road, enjoying the last hour of moonlight, a Virgin Records bag swinging in one hand. Despite her fears, Seras did not see any blood on her patrols. It was her first peaceful full moon since her turning. Because of this, Seras found cause to celebrate and wanted to do so by surprising Uriel with a visit and new CD's for his collection.

Seras jumped over the wrought iron fence and parted the curtain of willow branches that obscured the manor from view. What she saw made her drop her bag in shock. The manor was in shambles. There was nothing left of one wing but rubble and there was a large hole where the front door had been. Seeing a bloody figure lying on the front lawn and knowing instinctively that it was Uriel, Seras ran towards him, oblivious of any present danger.

With a startled cry, Seras realized that although from afar, she had sensed Uriel was barely alive, she was wrong. His head was completely detached from his body and laying a hands length away. Seras could not understand how Uriel could look so peaceful with his eyes closed having died such a gruesome death. Seras crawled to his head and clutched it to her bosom, letting out a ghastly wail. Seras opened her teary eyes to look down again to receive the shock of seeing Uriel's open eyes and tired face.

"You're alive," Seras gasped, having fallen back to using speech in her shock.

"Not for long. Drink my blood, darling. Blood freely given contains part of the soul. Drink and forever I will be a part of you." Uriel said, blood flowing through his mouth.

Seras' tears flowed as freely as the blood from Uriel's mouth. It was the first time that her ears had ever heard Uriel's beautiful voice. To think that he would only use it to say his goodbyes killed her. She wished she had never heard it at all. There were so many things that she wished for at that moment; she wished that tonight was an ugly night, she wished that she had no tear ducts to cloud her sight, and she wished that the man she considered her true master would not leave her. As callous as it sounded, she would have gladly exchanged her true master's life for Uriel's. She would give anything to spend the rest of eternity sitting in Uriel's library, training, listening to music, and carrying out silent conversations. She would even give up her eternal life to spend a human lifespan in that parlor. What was a life if it is to be spent alone?

Seras brought Uriel's mouth up to hers and gave him a gentle kiss, giving him her heart and taking his blood in return. Seras watched Uriel's gently smiling face fade from her view as the tears and memories started to flow.

* * *

_Uriel looked through the window towards the vast gardens to see a shadowed figure gliding towards the mansion. He knew instantly that the figure was the vampire Selene. Having seen her occasionally sneaking into the mansion since childhood, he had assumed that she was his father's lover but it thankfully wasn't true. Over the years, Uriel had come to love her more than one should love a mother._

_Turning from the window, Uriel gasped upon seeing a woman leaning on the doorframe to his room. She was no beauty according to the standards of the time. She was petite and curvy, her hair black, and her __nose slightly aquiline. Also, one could see from her stance and her smirk that she was strong-willed and did not even attempt to behave like a woman was expected. However, she shined like a jewel._

"_Selene, you surprised me."_

* * *

_Uriel woke up to the sound of sobbing at the side of his bed. He turned his head to see who it was, forgetting that disease had taken his sight. _

"_You will die tonight," Selene sobbed. "I don't want you to die. I want to be selfish and keep you alive but I don't want to force you to share this cursed life. I don't want you to suffer through the pain of seeing countless other age, have children and die while you stay young forever. Even those who do not die eventually leave."_

"_It would be no curse if I could spend more time with you. I would never leave you. I love you," Uriel rasped, taking Selene's hand in his._

"_I could never give you the joys of children," Selene said sadly._

"_I do not need any more than you."_

* * *

_Uriel and Selene lay entwined in front of the fire. _

"_As you know, my father is not really my father. He is actually my uncle. I'm the illegitimate child of his brother and an Englishwoman. After the assassinations of my real parents, Father took me in and hid my existence from the rest of the world. I really had no friends growing up," Uriel told Selene._

"_Growing up as a vampire was hard. My father was gone for most of my childhood, fighting a war against the Turks so it was just me, my sister, and my mother. The villagers would give us the respect appropriate for their lords and ladies but they always avoided us. My sister and I had each other so became quite close but I could tell my mother was always lonely," Selene murmured._

_Suddenly, the door to the parlor was thrown open and the child-vampire Marigold ran in franticly, destroying the peace. She looked crazed, her hair having fallen out of its ribbon and her dress having been torn and dirtied in several places. _

"_Francis Ferdinand and his wife have been murdered," she reported._

_Uriel sat up and buried his head in his hands. _

"_Father."_

* * *

_Uriel dragged himself over the battlefield, trying to avoid the bodies of his fallen comrades towards where he felt Selene was. His clothes were bloody and torn and he had lost both of his legs but he had to reach her. Having finally reached her, Uriel retched as he found that his dear Selene had been beheaded. _

"_Uriel."_

_Uriel gasped and looked towards Selene's head. Gently, he picked it up and cradled it against his chest. _

"_You're alive," Uriel whispered._

"_Not for long. Drink my blood, darling. Blood freely given contains part of the soul. Drink and forever I will be a part of you." Selene said, coughing up blood._

_Uriel's eyes filled with tears as he gave Selene a final, passionate kiss, taking her blood into his mouth. He would not say goodbye. She would stay with him as he went out to avenge her. _

"_I love you, Uriel," Selene murmured._

"_And I love you, Selene," Uriel whispered. _

* * *

Seras' bloody tears dyed Uriel's blonde hair a fiery red to match the rising sun peaking through the trees. She should seek shelter but she couldn't bring herself to move. She felt the loss of Selene and it was almost as crippling as the knowledge that she would soon lose Uriel.

"I love you, Uriel," Seras murmured.

"And I love you, Selene," Uriel whispered, before falling silent forever.

Seras screamed. The sun had risen above the trees, bathing Seras and Uriel in light.


	9. Chapter 8

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Last time:

_Seras' bloody tears dyed Uriel's blonde hair a fiery red to match the rising sun peaking through the trees. She should seek shelter but she couldn't bring herself to move. She felt the loss of Selene and it was almost as crippling as the knowledge that she would soon lose Uriel. _

"_I love you, Uriel," Seras murmured._

"_And I love you, Selene," Uriel whispered, before falling silent forever._

_Seras screamed. The sun had risen above the trees, bathing Seras and Uriel in light. _

Seras wrapped herself around Uriel's head determined to shield it from catching any more sunrays but it was no use. Uriel's head was deteriorating, turning into dust before her eyes. Within seconds, Seras' hands were empty and she fell to her side in fetal position. There was nothing left. Any pleasure she found in life was gone with the wind like Uriel. Her life was empty now. She had no friends, no loved ones, no purpose for living. She could go on working for Hellsing to get rid of the "vermin vampires" but what was the point? She hated the violence that filled her life and the organization that tried to control it. Killing those who killed made her a killer herself. She was vermin. She did not deserve to live. She did not want to anyways.

The sun rose higher, turning the morning sky from a captivating mix of orange and purple to a bright blue. Seras lay in the same position, wallowing in her misery for two hours, bloody tears dry and caked to her face before she realized that the sun would do her no favors. Instead of descending on her like a fury as she had expected it to, it just smiled warmly down upon her as if to offer encouragement. She wished she could push it away. She didn't need its false comforts.

Suddenly, Seras found herself thrown into the sky and flying off the manor property onto the road. Instinctively, she turned midair to land on her feet and hands in a crouch. Seras straightened herself into a defensive stance and scanned the surrounding area for the danger.

Seras growled when Alucard materialized a distance away from her. She hated him. She hated everything about him. It was all his fault. He was a monster and turned her into one as well. He gave her Uriel only to take him away. He gave her life and was taking take it back. He was trying to, anyways. She would not go down without a fight.

Seras roared and flew towards Alucard. Her nails lengthened to form claws and she attempted to drive them into Alucard's stomach. Unfortunately, he was too fast to her. He grabbed her outstretched wrist and stepped behind her to lock her arms behind her back. Thinking fast, Seras wrapped each of her legs around Alucard's and twisted them, causing Alucard to fall forward on her. Quickly, Seras flipped them over so that she was laying on her back on his stomach. Unfortunately, Seras' advantageous position did not last long. Alucard instantly trapped both of Seras' legs in his own and both of her wrists in one hand before placing the other firmly on her stomach.

"Calm yourself," Alucard commanded.

Seras' eyes began to tear as she struggled in vain to free herself but Alucard's limbs were as effective as chains in halting her movements. Eventually, Seras let out a howl and fell still, tired and defeated.

"It seems like months of training have done nothing for your control. In fact, it seems like you have been reduced to the level of an animal. Uriel must have been a horrible teacher," Alucard remarked.

Seras' rage returned and her struggles began anew.

"You have no right to speak of Uriel, you monster. He is more of a master than you ever could be," Seras snarled.

"Why are you fighting me, girl?" Alucard asked exasperated.

"I'm not going without a fight. I will take you down with me."

"I did not come to kill you, girl."

"Yes, just to attack me when my guard is down," Seras scoffed.

"No, just to get you off the manor grounds and to knock you back to your senses."

"My senses are just fine, you violent psychopath."

"Oh? Then explain why you were laying in the sun for two hours?"

"You killed Uriel," Seras cried.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you are a psychopath."

"Why would I kill the only man I trusted, the man I entrusted my fledgling to?"

Seras huffed. She could not be expected to understand the mind of a madman.

"If you didn't kill him, who did?" Seras asked, playing along.

"Hellsing," Alucard stated.

"And you are Hellsing's dog." Seras shouted.

Alucard growled. "I have my limits, girl. But in your terms, I may be their dog but one day, I will devour them all, even Marigold."

Seras froze. Marigold…Marie. Sir Integral and Marie's conversation replayed in her mind.

"_He knows too much. He's dangerous. Can you take him out?" Sir Integral asked._

"_I believe I can. His blood is stronger but I have quite an advantage and quite a number of years in battle experience." Marie answered._

Sir Integral had send Marie after somebody who knew Hellsing secrets and someone with stronger blood than Marie. If Marie was Selene's granddaughter, that meant that she was sent after either one of Morigan or Selene's sons because Dracula had no surviving daughters. Selene had only one surviving son until last night, Uriel. It was too much of a coincidence.

"Marie…Marie… She will die!" Seras screeched.

"Eventually," Alucard conceded.

"No. Now. Now let me go."

Alucard complied with Seras' demand, allowing her to scramble to her feet while he rose effortlessly from the ground like a puppet on strings. Seras turned in the direction of London and Hellsing Mansion but before she could dash off, Alucard grabbed her arm.

"You are not ready to face Marigold. She was able to defeat Uriel, a powerful vampire who had fully mastered his powers. You have not even come close to his level."

Seras glared up at Alucard. "So what," her expression read.

"I will give you more of my blood and more of my power but you will not attack her now. You will train and you will attack only when I tell you the time is right." Alucard stated this like an obvious fact before turning towards the shade of swaying trees.

"And you think I will comply with your orders?"

"Of course. Because when you attack, Hellsing will fall as well."

* * *

Sir Integral rose from her bed at noon. She had only slept for four hours but she could not stay in bed any longer. She could not bear the thought of time wasted. Doctors said she was an insomniac but she just did not need any more sleep than that. Her mental functions were perfect, better than perfect compared to most people, despite the minimal sleep. After quickly preparing for the day, Sir Integral walked into her office to find Walter waiting in front of a bookcase.

"What is it, Walter?"

"As I know Marigold reported to you, she had succeeded in beheading Uriel and left his body in the open to be destroyed by the sun. However, audio feeds from the grounds recorded some activity an hour before sunrise. I think you should listen to it."

Sir Integral sat down in an armchair and listened intently to the recording that Walter brought, ears quickly noting every detail, no matter how miniscule.

"It sounds like Agent Victoria's voice." Sir Integral frowned.

"Agreed. She didn't return from patrol last night. If that truly was her at the scene, judging from her scream, she must have died with Uriel at sunrise." Walter supplied.

"Alucard come here now," Sir Integral demanded shortly.

Alucard walked through a wall into the sunny sitting room, coat and pulled up around him and head down as if fearing the sun.

"What is it you wish master, besides to watch me burn?" Alucard drawled.

"Where is Agent Victoria." It wasn't a question. It was a demand. Sir Integral wanted the answer and she would get it.

Alucard stiffened slightly for a moment. "I don't know," he whispered. "I can't feel her anymore."

"So she's dead." This time, despite her tone, Sir Integral had posted a question.

"Maybe. But she couldn't have been killed during patrol. I taught her better than that. Maybe she's been sealed?" Alucard looked up accusingly.

"You will tell me if you ever feel her presence again. You are dismissed." Sir Integral majestically flicked her wrist at Alucard, secretly savoring the moment. Alucard appeared to be weak and insecure about the loss of his fledgling and this was one of the few times that she ever was able to dismiss him. Usually, he left her without permission. As he was halfway through the wall, Sir Integral's voice halted him. "Oh, and Alucard, you will be punish for not keeping better track of your fledgling."

"Of course, master," Alucard muttered before leaving.

Sir Integral turned to the silent Walter, still standing by the bookcase.

"It seems as if Alucard was shocked by Agent Victoria's death. It's quite possible that he didn't know anything about her personal dealings. However, we do not know anything as a fact and shouldn't operate on assumptions. Find as much as you can on Agent Victoria's association with Uriel and keep a close eye on Alucard. He could be working against us again, introducing her to Uriel before releasing her from the master's bond. Although unlikely, it is possible that Agent Victoria is still alive. The light at sunrise is weak and it is possible that despite her age, Agent Victoria could survive brief periods of exposure like Alucard."

Alucard didn't pull the wool over Sir Integral's eyes as often as he thought.


	10. Chapter 9

**LINEAGE **

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Seras slunk into the small town, careful to keep in the meager shadows. She was sure the noon sun would not kill her but it was still uncomfortable. The sun felt searing against her skin and her nose was sunburnt. Thankfully, it was a weekday so the she didn't pass by anybody walking along the street and those in cars were driving too fast and were too occupied on reaching their destinations to notice her. She was quite a sight, her face and clothing covered in blood and dirt. The Hellsing Organization would assume that she was dead so she needed to find a place to hide out and train. However, first, she would need to find a way to blend in to the general population. Seras ducked into the first clothing boutique that she found. It was empty except for a middle aged female shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper ran towards Seras, clutching a wireless phone. "Are you alright? I'll call the police and hospital." The concerned shopkeeper started, turning the phone on.

Seras stared into the frightened shopkeeper's eyes. "Close the shop and do not call anyone. There is nothing odd about me. I look and behave normally."

"But you are obviously injured," the shopkeeper argued.

"There is nothing odd about me. I look and behave normally," Seras repeated more firmly.

The woman visibly relaxed. Seras locked the door behind her and turned off the phone in the hypnotized woman's hand. The woman gave Seras a warm smile. "Hello, welcome to Solids. My name is Julie. Feel free to look around and ask me if you need any assistance."

Seras smiled back at Julie, relieved. She had never tried hypnotizing anybody before. "Thank you. I will do that. But first, can I use your restroom?"

The Julie directed Seras to the restroom and Seras firmly closed the door behind her. With a sigh, Seras undressed and began to carefully wipe the blood and dirt from her skin. Fifteen minutes and a handful of paper towels later, her skin was clean. Saras stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. After hours of crying, her entire eyeball looked red. Her blood-red irises definitely did not help the matter. Not wanting reminisce on her unhappy undead life any longer, Seras ducked her head under the flowing sink, letting its cool waters wash away her negativity. She would stay positive and train hard to bring Hellsing down. Eventually, Seras felt calm enough to raise her head again and tried her best to dry her hair but without a towel. Not wanting her clothes to dirty her skin again, Seras did not bother redressing before leaving the bathroom.

Julie looked up from her magazine when Seras left the bathroom and smiled, seeming not to notice that she was absolutely naked. Seras smiled back nervously and quickly picked out several articles of clothing. Because the story carried mostly solid colors, it was easy to find a tasteful skirt, blouse, and 

short coat, all in black. Seras quickly dressed and walked to the register to pay for her clothing, passing an underwear display. Blushing, Seras quickly pulled on a pair of black panties.

"I'd like to wear these out," Seras informed Julie.

Julie nodded and rang Seras up. "That will be one hundred and seventeen pounds please."

Seras returned back to the restroom to don her shoes and to gather her soiled clothing and wallet. She came back and put her clothes on the counter as she paid Julie. "Julie, may I have a bag to put my old clothes in?"

"Of course, dear," Julie replied, handing Seras her change and a bag.

Seras stuffed her soiled clothes in the bag into the bag. She was planning to leave everything she wore last night at the manor in the hope that they would be found and she would be assumed dead. With a last look backwards, Seras locked her eyes with Julie's. "Today was a normal day for you. For the last hour, only I came into the shop. I did nothing but browse through your clothes before buying several items and leaving."

Julie smiled. "Thank you, please come again," she called at Seras' retreating back.

* * *

Seras sat on the pier, legs dangling in the water, watching the river set over the River Test. It had been two weeks since Uriel's death and tonight was a new moon. The pain of loss had subsided to a dull ache, making Seras feel worse than she really did. Was it normal to only feel an ache after losing her beloved two weeks before? Perhaps she had not truly loved Uriel after all.

With a sign, Seras got to her feet. It was time for work. For the past week, Seras had been living in Southampton and working as a waitress at a jazz club called Summertime. She had wanted to devote all of her time to training but she needed money to spend and a place to live. Also, training hadn't been going very far with nobody to teach her or to practice with.

Seras walked confidently through several alleyways and down an especially seedy street. Despite being a lone woman, nobody bothered her. She gave off such an aura that humans knew instinctively knew not to touch her. If there was one thing that Seras mastered during her time alone, it was the manipulation of humans. Deep in thought, it seemed to Seras as if she reached Summertime instantly. Entering through a side door, Seras was instantly greeted by her coworker, Leah.

"Evening, Vicky." Leah called, running straight towards Seras, black hair flowing behind her like silk, before halting an arm's length away. Seras was distinctly uncomfortable with their closeness and became even more so when Leah's dark eyes started looking her up and down.

"Acceptable," Leah commented, "except for this…"

Seras blushed brightly as Leah proceeded to unbutton several buttons of her blouse, exposing more of her cleavage than she was comfortable with.

"You should wear revealing clothing, you have a great body," Leah said off-handedly.

Seras reached up to rebutton her blouse only to have her hand slapped.

"Keep it that way," Leah commanded. "You don't know this since you're new but new moons here are very important. The club is always packed with wealthy and important people who tip very well but once a month, a group of what I suspect to be crime bosses meet together. It would benefit you to show more skin. So…let's make some money!" With that, Leah turned and skipped away.

No matter how often she laughed and smiled, Leah never seemed truly happy. It was as if sadness was a part of her person. Seras wondered why this was but didn't dare ask. She didn't know Leah well enough and surely, something that could cast such a large shadow on Leah's soul was beyond frightening just to recall. Perhaps Leah was in mouring. Like Seras, Leah always wore black, although Seras was sure that she didn't give off such a miserable air.

Leah was right about business that night. At only ten o'clock, every seat in the house was taken and of the three hundred plus people, Seras noted ten to be vampires. Having vampires in the club was not an uncommon occurrence but having more than a pair in the same area was. All ten vampires were sitting in the back of the club at an especially long table. The manager had lined up a half a dozen tables for a meeting of some sort. As requested, Seras brought the vampires' table a round of a specialty drink from the bar, a Bloody Babe, a mixture of what smelt like blood and gin. Just as she was setting the last drink on the table, a chill of power flashed into the room. All the vampires at the table froze, including Seras. The chill quickly retreated, being nothing more than a warning beacon for all the vampires present but Seras still could not find the strength to move. Never had she felt such power. It was even greater than what she felt from Alucard during his battle with Lorena. Before she could lose her nerve, Seras took a seat at the center of the table, determined to speak to the master vampire.

The gruff-looking man on Seras' right growled and roughly grabbed her arm. "What you doing, wench?"

Seras narrowed her eyes at him. With his unkempt dark hair, dirty clothes, and unshaven beard, the man looked as much a Neanderthal as he sounded. "Sitting, what does it look like?"

The man responded by gripping Seras' arm hard enough to shatter human bones and gave off a flare of power. Slowly, the man reined in his anger and power while the other vampires watched silently. Locking his red eyes with Seras' brown contacted ones, the man attempted to hypnotize her. "You will walk into the alleyway. You hurt your arm when you were attacked there."

Seras gave the man a leer. Apparently, she masked her power so well that he did not notice that she was a vampire. Either that or his powers were so weak, he couldn't tell. "Fool," Seras growled, sending him a flare of power much greater than his own in return.

All the vampires exhibited some sign of shock at Seras' display of power. Apparently, she _had_ indeed masked her power successfully. Seras' widening smile froze. Someone had placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Seras met the eyes of a smiling man with long black hair tied in a ponytail. Unlike any elder vampire she had ever seen before, he appeared to be of Middle-Eastern descent.

"Let her stay," the man said, taking the seat at the head of the table, "There's an extra seat at the table."

Now that the intimidatingly powerful vampire was at the table, Seras could not find the nerve to speak. "I-I'm s-sorry for being rude sir. I just felt your power and wanted to speak to whoever it belonged to."

"You do not know me?" The man gave a look of surprise and offense. Although upon hearing this, most would scoff at the asker's ego, for this man, it was a valid question.

"No," Seras blushed.

"Well, you can call me Lou then," the man offered, causing all those at the table to smirk. Obviously it was a fake.

Although understandable, Seras was slightly annoyed by his condescending tone. She was sure that she was more powerful than at most of the vampires at the table. That is not to say that she could defeat them though, being only half-trained.

"Well, _Lou_, you can call me _Vicky_," Seras returned with a sickeningly sweet smile, anger having returned her bravery and cheek.

Lou just maintained the same smile. "Why haven't I met such an intriguing creature such as you before?"

Seras leaned forward and looked at Lou coyly. "We just never ran in the same circles. It was an occupational thing. I'm sure I'm out of line saying this, but I never appreciated your work."

Lou's smile seemed to widen but Seras saw it for exactly what it was. He was bearing his teeth in a threat. He picked up her insinuation that she worked for Hellsing and would kill her if she didn't give him a reason not to. "So why, may I ask, the sudden interest?"

"Well," Seras began, rallying her courage, "I recently quit my job. I just couldn't stay any more, after the boss fired my mentor."

Lou's eyebrows raised. "Oh? I heard it was seemingly impossible to leave The Company."

"No more than the resurrection of Jesus," Seras joked.

Lou looked amused. "So what are your plans now?"

"I was planning on burning the office down but it's so big, I don't think I can handle it alone. I may have been freed of my cage but have yet to master the art of flight."

"Indeed…" Lou drawled with a smirk, causing Seras to blush. She hadn't thought her inexperience had been that obvious.

Seras looked up at Lou timidly. "I was hoping you could help me?"

"I might agree to. Let me hear more about your plans."

Seras jerked backwards slightly. She had no long term plans. She had been focusing so intently on the present goal of cultivating her skills that she had totally neglected the long term goal. She had not even asked Alucard what his plans were or when he was planning to attack.

"I-I don't have plans," Seras admitted, causing Lou to purse his lips. "When I learned that my mentor was gone, I had planned on taking revenge right then but I was stopped by someone. He assured me that I was not trained enough to exact revenge and told me that when the time was right, we would burn down The Company together. I'm afraid I didn't ask what his plans were or when they would take effect."

"I am sick of pronouns," Lou declared suddenly, "who are these people you speak of?"

Seras hesitated. There was no harm in revealing Uriel's name because he was dead, or Marigold's because she was an enemy, but Seras was not sure about revealing Alucard's. He was a questionable person that Lou might not appreciate. He was said to be Hellsing's best agent, after all. Plus, he was their double agent. It would not do if he were discovered. There could be a double agent for Hellsing at this table, Seras suddenly realized. She really hadn't thought this encounter through enough. She had worded herself so the conversation would sound normal to unwanted human ears but she had not taken into account the possibility of unwanted vampiric ears.

"I was planning on attacking this girl, Marigold, for firing my mentor, Uriel, but was stopped by Carl." Sera said slowly, hoping Lou did not question the existence of Carl.

Lou's brow furrowed and Seras' eyes were drawn to a long scar above his right eyebrow. "We have a common enemy in Marigold but I do not know this 'Carl'. Tell me, is this Uriel, Selene's boy? Is he the one who brought you to The Company?"

"Yes to both," Seras replied, deciding to claim that Uriel was her master. She thought of him as such anyways.

"He disappeared after the Germans lost their empire and William resigned. I thought he had died," Lou mused.

Seras suddenly realized that she had dug herself into a hole. Now she would have to explain why history had forgotten Uriel. Fortunately, Seras considered herself a good liar and actress.

"Well, after the Germans, The Company locked him away. I found him by accident and stayed by his side for a time before The Company pressed me into their service."

Lou nodded, accepting her explaination. Seras was relieved that he believed her lie although she was careful not to show it. "Tell me more of this Carl," Lou demanded.

"I do not know too much of Carl myself. He really dispises working for The Company but is being forced to by some unknown power. From what I've seen of his power, I judge that he is much more powerful than me although less so than you," Seras carefully offered, trying to slyly stoke Lou's ego.

Lou stayed silent for a few minutes, staring Seras in the eye and making her quite uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke again and Seras blinked several times in continuum, relieved.

"I myself was planning on attacking Hellsing on the winter solstice. Contact Carl and see if we can combine our efforts. Until then, Selena will help you train."

Lou motioned to the woman on his right and Seras' eyes widened in shock. She had come in with him but Seras had not noticed her, focusing as hard as she was on Lou. She looked exactly like the vampire that attacked her and that Alucard had to save her from, Lorena.


	11. Chapter 10

**LINEAGE**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Seras leaned over the roof of the building, her head pounding. However, this was a faulty move on her part because looking straight down the building with a headache gave her a serious case of vertigo. Quickly pushing herself away from the edge of the building, Seras collapsed against the low wall.

"You are pathetic. We have nine months left. I can only hope you will become a half-way decent vampire by then."

Seras glared up at her new trainer in resentment. Her hair looked like a bird's nest, her shirt was torn, and her exposed legs bloody although the wounds had healed already. Although Seras was exhausted and flustered, Selena was as composed as ever and looking quite bored. Not a single strand of her chocolate brown hair had fallen out of her bun and her long white dress was immaculate. Possessing beauty and power, it seemed like Selena had it all. However, Seras could not help but notice how dismal Selena always looked. It was as if she did not have a reason to live or find any joy in life. Although Selena looked exactly like Lorena, Selena's gloominess set her apart from Seras' memory of the cruel and vibrant Lorena.

"Selena, did you know a vampire named Lorena?"

Selena glanced at Seras sadly. "Yes. She was my sister in both my first and second life. But now she is gone."

Although Seras was glad that Lorena was dead, she could not help but feel sad for Selena's loss. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "It must have been very hard for you."

"Yes, it was," Selena conceded. "When my master and I went to her lair, we were horrified at the scene there. Blood covered the walls. Her fledgling was killed and she was gone. We knew instantly who did it. There was an insane human wandering the lair. She kept thanking "The Man in Red" for rescuing her."

"The Man in Red?" Although Seras knew who Selena was talking about, she could not help but repeat the title. It was the exact one that she referred to Alucard as before she knew his name or the role he played in her life.

"Yes. Alucard. We will have revenge. We were not planning on attacking Hellsing so early but we moved the date up. Alucard and Hellsing's crimes will not go unpunished." Selena proclaimed, eyes flashing.

"What has Hellsing done?" Seras asked timidly, fearing Selena's tirade yet curious to learn the true history of vampires.

"Wh-What have they done?" Selena screamed, "Besides enslaving vampires and forcing them to kill their own, nothing! How can you even ask that? There is no worse crime than the murder of your own. I can only wonder how many you've killed and if you can ever be redeemed," Selena muttered, turning her back to Seras.

Seras stayed against that low wall long after Selena left, her mind whirling. She could not stop thinking about Selena's accusing words. Indeed, Seras had killed a good number of vampires during her time at Hellsing. But Seras was not hoping for redemption. She could fely like that she could never achieve it anyways. She told herself that she had no choice but to obey her commands to kill criminal vampires but did she? Why couldn't she have refused and escaped from Hellsing earlier? Even if she was to be killed, wouldn't it have been better to die with a clear consciousness than to condemn her soul to purgatory? Seras believed that murder was the worst crime that one could commit, be it the murder of a human or of another vampire. It seemed that Selene's vampires had no remorse for murdering humans although it made them criminals in Hellsing's eyes. According to those at Hellsing, it was not a crime to "silence" those who murdered humans. It was justice in their eyes although it was a crime in the others'. But how were Lou and his ilk planning on punishing Hellsing? They were planning on turning and training more vampires to attack Hellsing. When would the violence ever end?

Seras had agreed to help bring down Hellsing because she wanted to get revenge against Marie. Marigold, Seras corrected herself. After all that had happened, Seras could not bear to call Marigold something as personal as a nickname. Seras had wanted revenge against Marigold but now that she thought about it, she was not sure why anymore. Killing Marigold would not bring Uriel back. Marigold might not even be to blame for her actions. Maybe Sir Integral forced her to do it. Maybe, like Selena implied, Alucard was not the only Hellsing vampire forced to kill against their will. But if this were true, why would Alucard give her the power to go after Marigold?

Alucard was such an enigma. Although he wanted to bring Hellsing down, he really seemed to agree morally with them. It was obvious that he enjoyed his mission by his grins at the end of the nights. "You can't protect the innocent if you don't exist," he had told her on her first mission. "You could find hundreds of lairs like this and hunt thousands of vampires like her," he said, referring to Lorena and her cruelty towards humans. However, although it seemed like Alucard wanted to protect humans, every time they patrolled the city together, he had seemed indifferent to their suffering. Once, he scoffed when they saw a man being robbed. Another, when they heard a woman being beaten by her husband, he simply commented on how weak the woman was. Did Alucard care for humans or not?

Despite the fact that Alucard was her master, he never really spoke to her unless it was absolutely necessary or if it were to train her. No attempt that Seras made to start a conversation was ever successful. She learned more about non-combat related issues from other vampires than she ever learned from her master. She didn't even know her lineage, something that every vampire she had ever met was proud of. She did not even know whether she was a descendant of Selene. When Alucard said that she need not follow Selene's cultural traditions, he implied that they were not descendent from her. However, Uriel had bowed to Alucard like how Selene's followers would bow to an elder of whom they were directly descendent. However, Uriel was the son of Selene. That meant that Selene was a descendant of Alucard. But Selene was the daughter of Dracula. So Dracula had to be…

Seras' eyes widened. Her Scrabble-champion brain had just brought something to her notice. Using her thumb nail, Seras scratched both the names Dracula and Alucard side by side into the rooftop. What she discovered made her gasp. The names were mirror reflections of one another. What did that mean?

* * *

The spring rain beat a gentle constant tattoo against the railing of the balcony but Seras no longer heard it. At that moment, the world was as dead to her. No longer did she feel the scraggly material of the sofa against her skin or the cold wind blowing through the open balcony door. No longer did she smell the rain or see the clouds crawling slowly across the night sky where the full moon should have hung.

Seras had been hiding out in her flat all day, even missing a training session with Selena. She was having her menses again. Knowing after the episode with Lorena that it was not a normal occurrence for vampires, she decided that it would be best to hide out for the week to avoid any of the other vampires' questions. That was what she told herself anyways. Truthfully, she had not been able to focus on anything all week, with the coming of the full moon.

It was one month ago today that Uriel was lost but she no longer hurt. The wound didn't even throb. The thought of Uriel's death just brought Seras a general ache, like the one that she got when she thought of her murdered parents. Days ago the question of 'why' haunted her and interfered with her daily activities but now it was settled. Why didn't she feel more pain having lost her love? Because she had not truly love Uriel in a romantic sense. He was her friend and mentor but not her love. It seemed like while he lay weak and dying in her arms, she had subconsciously decided that the only reason that she could feel such grief was if he were her soul mate. After the loss of her parents, Seras was so afraid of further loss that she never allowed anyone close to her. She was so afraid of losing any other loved ones that she never allowed herself to feel any friendly attachment, least of all romantic attachments. Because of her inexperience with romance and friendship, it was easy to confuse one for another.

"Seras."

A gloved hand lifted her chin, pulling Seras out of her reverie. Instantly, Seras reacted by pushing herself backwards over her seat and pushed the barrel of her small handgun to her attacker's forehead only to realize that it was Alucard.

"Alucard," Seras sighed. "You frightened me. I was lost in thought."

"I could see that. You had not noticed my entrance or when I called your name twice. Although I understand why, never let your attention slip. Your death would displease me."

Seras was shocked. Her master….former master, had never called her by her name before. Then again she had never called her former master by his name either. It must be because of her graduation from servitude.

"How did you find me?" Seras asked worried. If Alucard could find her, maybe she wasn't as safe as she thought she was. Because she assumed that Hellsing had believed her dead, Seras had not bothered to hide or take any safety precautions.

"I sniffed you out. Don't worry, Hellsing is not looking for you," Alucard said offhandedly.

Seras would have sighed in relief if she didn't know how Alucard could smell her. Instead, she threw herself back over the cheap sofa to take a seat. Sitting stiff and staring at her knees to hide her blush, Seras raised a question that she somewhat knew already. "Is it normal for vampires to bleed?"

Alucard smirked. "You have seen me and plenty of other vampires bleed before."

In ire, Seras narrowed her eyes at Alucard, who had stretched out on her sofa, long legs hanging over the edge of her coffee table. He knew exactly what she was asking. He was just trying to embarrass her.

"Yes but is it normal for vampire women to menstruate?" Asked Seras.

Alucard looked Seras over and nodded in approval. It seemed like she no longer felt a crippling fear for him.

"I would hardly call you normal," he said.

Seras frowned. "But none of Selene or Morigan's descendants menstruate do they," she demanded.

"No."

Seras blinked. Although she had suspected it, it was still a shock to know for sure that she was not descendent from either of the female vampires immortalized by history.

Seras gave Alucard the most pitifully hopeful look that she could muster. "Sir, may I ask about my lineage?"

Apparently her look had not worked because Alucard snorted. "Remove that look from your face, Seras."

Seras smiled sheepishly and turned her eyes to the calming rain.

"You lineage is quite simple," Alucard started, catching Seras' full attention. "You came from me."

That answer was no way satisfying and Seras' frown made it obvious. "But where did you come from?"

For a minute, nothing could be heard but the gentle rain outside. Not expecting an answer, Seras focused intently on the rain as if its gentle whisperings held the key to the world's knowledge.

"I came from the bloody battlefields of Romania."

Seras looked back up at Alucard confused.

"I do not understand where I truly come from either" Alucard continued. "Before me, there were no tales of vampires. I am what I am because I drank the blood of my people during battle. It gave me strength and a new existence"

"You are Dracula," Seras whispered.

"Yes."


	12. Chapter 11

_**AN:**I've come to hate the title of this story. I had titled it this because I wanted it to be a simple reflection of a forgotten history that led two bloodlines into a century-long feud. However, every time I see it, I can't help but think that this story is not so much about vampire lineage as much as vampire history. As such, I was thinking of renaming it somewhere along the lines of "History" or "The Forgotten Past" or something just as lame (I suck with titles just as much as summaries, as you can probably see). However, would changing a story title in the middle of writing it be confusing to readers? I don't seem to have many though. Actually, how many hits is considered to be many/not many? Anyways, enough of my ramblings. I'd be happy to hear any opinions/suggestions. _

* * *

**Chapter 11**

The next night found Seras in the same position on the couch as before, with the wind from the open door flowing through her hair. The differences tonight were that this tonight, it wasn't raining and Seras was completely alert. Although her eyes were still staring straight at where the moon was covered by clouds, her eyes were actually looking past the clouds to pick out the images of the many stars and satellites in the sky. Her ears picked out various human conversations within the building and the scurrying of mice and roaches. Her nose picked up the stench of automobiles and the invigorating scents of various plants outside. Occasionally, she even smelled a predator's bloody victory.

Suddenly, Seras stiffened and rose from her seat, pulling out two semi-automatic handguns from the holsters on her sides. She felt a dark presence heading straight her way very quickly. From a kilometer away, Seras could see that it was a large swarm of bats. However, they flew straight and steadily towards her, not dancing about like how real bats were prone to do. It was obvious that they were not true bats but instead a vampire, taunting her and daring her to shoot them. Seras produced a light humph before sitting down and holstering her guns. A minute later, the bats hovered about her balcony with a cacophony of fluttering wings and screeching voices before congealing to produce the grinning figure of Alucard.

"Very good, Seras. It seems like you are finally becoming a half-way decent vampire."

Secretly, Seras was pleased with Alucard's praise despite the unneeded sentence that he added to it. He never said that she did well in anything before, just adequate. Seras pretended to be aloof. "Is there a reason for your visit?"

Alucard continued to grin and leaned against the sliding glass door of the balcony. "Actually, just like yesterday, before you so coyly distracted me with your feminine charm, I just wanted to enquire how my darling Seras was progressing."

Seras straightened, just remembering the planned attack on Hellsing. "Something of importance has come up. You may want to get comfortable."

Despite his vampiric speed, Alucard took his sweet time to move towards Seras, his limbs swinging slowly and gracefully like ribbons in the wind. Eventually, one leg was thrown over both of Seras' legs as Alucard lowered himself before her to sit on the coffee table. Grinning, Alucard leaned forwards towards Seras' awed face so that the brim of his hat brushed Seras' bangs. Seras' face flushed. If she was still in the habit of breathing, she was sure that her nervous panting would have fogged up Alucard's sunglasses. Seras knew that he was only trying to make her feel uncomfortable but the damning thing was, he was succeeding and she could not even pretend otherwise. Seras tried to lean further back into the sofa but could not seem to put even a minuscule distance between them. Signing in defeat, she lowered her eyes from Alucard's victorious grinning face to fix them on a button of his shirt.

"I met a master vampire two weeks ago. I do not know his name. He gave me a false one. However, his appearance is distinctive. He has Middle-Eastern features and a long scar above his right brow. He is also planning to attack Hellsing, on the winter solstice specifically, but I am sure that he is your enemy. He ordered one of his vampires, the twin sister of Lorena to train me. She said that she and her master would take revenge against you."

Alucard growled and leaned back, startling Seras into looking at him. Upon seeing Alucard's dark look, Seras leaned forwards in anticipation for his next words, closing the gap which had previously made her uncomfortable.

"We will work with Rosiel to bring down Hellsing first. You may tell him that there is a resistance within Hellsing but not my name," Alucard declared at last.

Seras let out a hot breath of anger. Or it would be hot if her blood was warm enough to heat it. Rosiel. Alucard knew the master and it was Rosiel, the killer of Selene, all but one of her sons, and a battalion of troops. How she hated him. While one part of her wished she had the power to make him suffer in eternal pain, to take revenge for the kind and gentle Selene, the greater part of her was horrified that she would seriously think of torturing anybody. Trying to calm herself, Seras breathed in and let out a couple of calming breaths. Despite the fact that she had broken the habit of breathing months ago, she would still occasionally rely on it to calm herself. In this way, the habit of breathing to her was like the habit of smoking cigarettes to humans.

"I do not want to work with the murderer of Selene," Seras breathed.

Alucard frowned. "And you believe that I want to work with the killer of my daughter any more than you?"

With the grace of a puppet on strings, Alucard swung his left leg over Seras' legs to stand to her left. Stepping backwards while still facing Seras, Alucard dropped a paper bound book in the spot that he had just vacated, startling her.

"That book contains information from the Hellsing database on all current Hellsing operatives. You will find their name, photo, job description, station location, and personal and occupational history in it. I have placed colored marks next to the names of all the vampires. A red mark denotes staunch Hellsing supporters, green denotes those who would help our cause, and grey denotes those of questionable loyalties. Whenever you are able, you will make contact with our allies. Only eliminate our enemies if necessary or they will come to expect an attack."

Seras stared at the white-knuckled fists on her lap, shaking slightly. Gathering her courage, she finally managed a hoarse whisper. "I don't know if I want to do this anymore. I don't want to kill any more."

Alucard turned his back towards Seras to walk back to the balcony. "Do what you want, Police Girl. Contrary to popular belief, I could never kill my own daughter. However, Rosiel and Selena are not as sentimental as I. They would not be pleased if you did not use your training for their purpose. 'If you're not with me," they say."

With those final words, Alucard leaped off the balcony, his body breaking up into several black fluttering bats, and flew off into the night, leaving Seras to watch the bats' aerial acrobatics.

* * *

_The spiked silver door groaned as if disgusted by the touch of the walrus-like man. One would think that something blessed by a bishop could have found some better use than to separate one monster from another. _

_The walrus' moustache quivered in satisfaction upon seeing his captive. Once a man so powerful that he single-handedly defeated the Ottoman Empire, the prisoner was now a sorry sight, nothing more than skin and bones curtained by silky white hair in the darkest corner of his cell. _

"_She's dead, you know," the walrus barked, "Your precious Selene is dead. All because she wanted to win your precious freedom. But you know what? The truth is, I would never have let you go anyways!" _

_The prisoner shot forth like a released spring, crimson eyes flashing and mouth open wide. His arms and legs were bound but he still had enough strength in his body and a bite to rival any snake. _

_With surprising agility, the walrus stepped behind the door, out of the cell, causing the prisoner to slam into it and force it closed. The walrus laughed cruelly and locked the door."It's all your fault, monster."_

_A scream of unadulterated pain was produced from inside the cell, a scream so powerful that it shook the entire mansion. Priceless artifacts fell from their displays and windows shattered, either from the strength or to allow frightened people through them. Living creatures within half kilometer radius fled in fear. And through all that, the walrus continued to laugh._

* * *

Seras opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, allowing twin droplets of blood to slide down her face. Ever since she gained her freedom, she had been having these nightmares, recollections of memories that were not her own.


	13. Chapter 12

* * *

As the sun set on a seemingly perfect day, many red eyes around the world lay open to note its passing. Ordinarily, sunsets are highly anticipated and vampires celebrate them because they herald another night of freedom. However, nobody celebrated the sunset that day. As always, the sunset of the spring equinox was met with dread and sadness because it marked another years passing and another six months during which the day would outlast the night. It brought with it another season of loss for the vampires because it was during this time that vampire hunters would be the most active.

Despite the untold number of spring equinoxes that Rosiel had noted the passing of, he was always still affected. That day, his eyes had opened at noon and he had not gotten a moment's rest since. Slowly, Rosiel slid out from his king sized bed and to ducked behind the drapes covering a floor-length window to watch the sunset, careful not to let a single noise or ray of sunlight rouse this bedmate.

It was not as if Rosiel really cared for his bedmate. He just didn't want to hear any petulant whining or insolent demands that he return to bed. Although sometimes he had the desire to let his bedmate be the victim of an unfortunate accident, he could never bring himself to do it. It would be a shame to kill such a talented and beautiful bed partner and he doubted that Selena would appreciate the loss of yet another fledgling.

When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, Rosiel stepped back from the window and prepared for the night. Dressed in a black dress shirt and trousers, Rosiel emerged from the bathroom and frowned upon seeing his bedmate still oblivious to the night, with blonde hair mussed and an arm hanging from the side of the bed. Perhaps it was time to charge Selena with finding him another bedmate. This one was dumber than a doornail.

Impatient to get out of his bedmate's presence, Rosiel disregarded his bedroom door and just walked through a wall onto the lavish terrace of his penthouse, breathing in the scents of the many exotic plants that he kept. Although it was not necessary for vampires to breathe, it was something that he would continually do. He could not understand how some vampires could deprive themselves of this sense, even momentarily to avoid foul smells.

Quickly picking out Selena's earthy and minty scent, Rosiel followed his nose to find her exactly where he expected to. The penthouse came complete a swimming pool and hot tub but because she wished it, Rosiel had allowed her to disable the hot tub's functions and turn it into a koi pond. Although he could not really understand why he had given in to this ridiculous whim, especially because he liked to use hot tubs, he was often glad he did. Every night, he would rise to find Selena reclining by the tub, with her long auburn hair flowing down her back and a hand in the water, the fish weaving around it and nibbling on her fingers, a picture of serenity. It was as if the water could temporary wash away all her sorrows to leave only the beautiful woman that he had first met, as if she had returned to that innocent girl who still believed in happy endings and had never felt the pain of unrequited love.

"Selena," Rosiel called softly, hating himself for disturbing the peace.

Selena looked up at Rosiel and smiled faintly before gracefully rising. With a quick flick of her wrist, she rid her hand of the water and sent the droplets back into her fish pond, startling the koi and sending them running for cover among the aquatic plants.

When Selena looked back up at Rosiel after righting her black empire waist silk dress, Rosiel was crushed to once again see defeated red-orange eyes. This was what he did to her. Years upon years of harsh words and cruel actions had done this. And he knew exactly why Selena stayed with him although her sister Lorena had left him a little over a century ago. She loved him. Oh, how he wished that he could bring himself to love her back. However, he liked to imagine that he could make up for the pain that he caused her with little things such as allowing her to turn his hot tub into a fish pond.

Rosiel hated himself for causing Selena pain but could not bear to ask Selena to leave him. He was selfish. It was easier to see Selena suffer every night than to bear the pain of his own loneliness. She was his only constant companion and had been so for almost two hundred years. Decades ago, Rosiel had thought to drive Selena away by taking lovers but it did not work. She still stayed and Rosiel began to find a perverse pleasure in his cruelty. Despite the number of vampires who would bow before him, he knew that none loved him except for Selena. None loved him enough to sacrifice their own happiness just to be with him. Not even his human mother had done that. She had abandoned him at the age of ten to get remarried.

"You've failed me again. Find me another lover. This time, make sure he has a brain," Rosiel demanded airily.

Despite wanting to curl into herself, Selena was able to keep her posture stiff and unchanged. However, she was not strong enough to keep the anguish from her face. Quickly, Selena lowered her head, allowing her hair to sweep in front of her face and nodded.

Rosiel smiled.

* * *

When Rosiel stepped into Summertime that night, a slight smirk graced his lips. The jazz quartet that the club regularly hired was playing a variation of "It Ain't Necessarily So" from George Gershwin's opera, _Porgy and Bess_. Knowing the club's manager as well as he did, he knew that all of the songs that night would be from the opera and played in reverse order so that the band would finish with the opera's most famous song and the club's namesake, "Summertime."

Without pause, Rosiel turned to the right wall and wove through the tables scattered throughout the club to make his way to the bar, behinds which the manager scurried about, acting as a bartender.

"Good evening, Charlie." Rosiel called.

The squat and balding man quickly turned with a wide smile on his face and thrust the whiskey bottle in his hands at another barkeeper. With a cherry nose and a smile so wide that it always caused his eyes to crinkle, the man was often assumed to be jolly and harmless. Rosiel knew better though. He had met the 

human fifteen years ago fighting against a young vampire who thought that he would be an easy meal. The young vampire was weak in vampire standards but still had the strength to rival any human. Still, with his fighting skill, Charlie had easily dominated the fight. That had been a long time ago but he still had all the makings of a great fighter. He did it less often these days but Charlie could throw any human out of the club as easy as any of the gargantuan bouncers that he hired.

"Porgy and Bess in reverse order?" Rosiel asked.

Charlie grinned and leaned forward on the bar, resting on an elbow. "You know me so well. Thought you would need some cheering up tonight. Looks like I was wrong though, eh?"

Rosiel gave Charlie a slight smile and shrugged.

"Ooh, Ros," Charlie began, "You know that girl I hired a lil' while ago? Vickie? The one who suddenly disappeared? Well she showed up again a few nights ago claiming an occupational emergency and has been hanging around 'til closing time every night since. What nerve. What occupational emergency? She worked for me. Even if she managed to squeeze in a day job, she could have at least managed to pick up the phone."

Rosiel pivoted on a heel and scanned the room, quickly picking out Seras alone at a table against the far wall, staring at him. The sparse crowd around the bar seemed to part like sheep among a dog as Rosiel stalked towards Seras without another word to Charlie, who frowned in annoyance.

"Ros, you bastard, if you take my girls, the least you could do is tell me so I can find a replacement!" Charlie called at Rosiel's back.

Today, with her dark blue halter dress and simply pinned back hair, Seras radiated an aura of confidence and refinement. With a nod of greeting, Rosiel took the seat to Seras's left. She had gotten the upper hand by appearing without notice and taking the seat against the wall, the strategic spot that allowed her to observe the whole room, but he would take what he could. He would not suffer the indignity of being chased down and if she was planning on betraying him to Hellsing, he would at least have some warning, being able to see the front and side entrances.

"Rosiel," Seras acknowledged, nodding.

Rosiel raised a hand to call over a waitress. "So you knew who I was after all."

"No, I only found out after I talked to Carl," Seras explained, while Rosiel nodded in acceptance.

"Hi Leah, can you get us two Bloody Babes?" Seras asked the waitress who had made her way over to the table.

Rosiel clenched his jaw in displeasure. Once again, Seras had managed to take control of the situation. It was as if she was a completely different vampire than the temperamental one that Rosiel had met a month ago. She had acted like a fool during their previous meeting but Rosiel would be wary of her in the future.

Seras leaned forward on her elbows and began to twiddle her thumbs. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, Seras hesitantly posed asked, "What would you do to somebody who knows the plan but is unwilling to help?"

"It would depend on who they are. My vampires know better to cross me. However, I would assume that anybody else would be untrustworthy with such information and would justly eliminate them." Rosiel did not know where this line of questioning was going but there was no harm in answering truthfully.

Several moments passed during which Seras's and Rosiel's eyes were locked upon each other. Neither spoke and neither moved, even to blink. The tense situation was finally broken when the waitress came to deliver their drinks. Instantly, Seras put on an act of merriness and began to run a finger around the glass's rim.

"Where's Selena?" Seras asked, cocking her head to one side.

Rosiel tensed. Was she implying that Selena was not willing to help them? The idea was ridiculous. Selena had been nothing but obedient throughout the years. He suspected that if he demanded her to go on a kamikaze mission, she would.

"I sent her on an errand so until she's finished with it, you will be seeing less of her."

Seras groaned. "I really need her help. She said that it appeared as if my master had taught me everything he could but if that's true, why am I such a piss poor vampire? I mean, I can't even use the shadows for five minutes without getting a bloody headache."

With a frustrated huff, Seras buried her head into her arms. Rosiel frowned at her immature display of frustration and let his gaze caress the back of her pale neck. Perhaps she was a fool after all, able to let her guard down so quickly. If he wanted to, he could easily behead her with the dagger that he carried with him before she even knew what happened. On the other hand, assuming that she was not a fool, taking this posture to exposes her neck could be taken as an offer of faith for an acknowledged superior, a behavior commonly seen in wolves.

"Did you tell Uriel or Selena of your headaches?" Rosiel asked. If she could give him that show of faith, the least he could do was to offer up some information about her ailment if indeed she did not know what caused it. It seemed likely that this turn in the conversation was meant to reaffirm their relationship. The unspoken agreement that they had made upon their first meeting was that she would receive training for her assistance in the destruction of Hellsing. Because he had said that she would be seeing less of Selena, perhaps she had taken it as a willingness to break the agreement and relationship.

Seras turned her head towards Rosiel and peered up at him through her bangs although she did not lift her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Headaches are an easily explained ailment. They are caused by poor control. You are allowing your power to fluctuate as you use them."

Seras laid her hands on the edge of the table and pushed herself backwards to slouch in her chair and pouted slightly. "But I have been training for months!"

"But not according to your needs. You have been stubbornly training through your pain when you should have been solving the problem. I can show you some techniques once away from prying eyes."

Seras leaned towards Rosiel, her head propped up on the palm of her right hand and gave him a wide smile. "Thanks."

"I believe you have some news to deliver," Rosiel drawled, near the end of his patience for Seras's childish acts.

Immediately, Seras's countenance changed. She straightened on her seat and gazed evenly at Rosiel. Without a smile on her face, she immediately seemed to age several years, instantaneously changing from a careless adolescent to a poised woman.

"In the week that I was gone, I made contact with my associate, Carl. He has agreed to join forces to destroy our common enemy. Also, he has provided me with a list of potential allies within the organization. I will make contact with them once I feel that I can eliminate any who would threaten us. However, first, we will need to draw out a detailed course of action."

Rosiel was not sure if he preferred this side of Seras over the previous annoyingly childlike one that she had cast off. This side was too bold. How dare she, a female vampire who has still not gotten use to the length of her fangs, treat him, a vampire of four hundred years, as an equal? She should be showing him more deference. If she were one of his vampires and not an ally, he would have shown her her place, forcibly if needed. Instead, all he could do was grudgingly agree.


	14. Chapter 13

_Gunshots echoed throughout the building but in that particular moonlit hallway, all was silent. It was as if time was frozen, with a single woman staring down a six uniformed men. Despite the odds and the many guns pointed at her, the woman stood strong in a defensive stance with a sword in each hand. Bringing two dull antique swords grabbed from a display into battle with six SA80 rifles was no different than bringing a knife to a gun fight but the men she faced were not so sure of their victory. Half were quaking in fear. One man was even crying. Only the foolish and inexperienced soldiers were able to keep their composure and bravado. _

"_Throw down your weapons and leave and I will let you live," the woman declared._

"_Ha! As if we could trust your word, monster. You will not survive the night and even if any of us fall in battle, we will die honorably," one particularly foolish man declared, stepping away from the other soldiers. _

"_Take cover," the woman ordered the young man behind her._

_The boy hesitantly complied, ducking into another hallway. _

_In that moment, where the woman was distracted, the soldiers took the opportunity to open fire upon the woman. However, with so many shaking hands, out of the several dozen shots fired, only two hit her. One lodged itself into her left shoulder and another in her abdomen but the woman just launched herself at her opponents as if they did not affect her at all. In the blink of an eye, the woman drove one of her swords through the soldier in front of the crowd and into the soldier behind him. Eyes widened in fright, the other soldiers quickly turned their rifles towards her and fired. Although fear and adrenaline quickened the soldier's reflexes, unfortunately, it decreased their mental capabilities so that when the woman let go of her sword and launched herself into the air, the soldiers at her flanks ended up shooting each other. Upon landing, the woman quickly slashed at the single soldier still standing against her, painfully tearing his throat open. The sword was too dull to properly cut. With five corpses at her feet, the woman raised her head to glance disgustedly at the sixth soldier. The man who was crying had stepped backwards before the seconds-long battle to cower against the far wall. _

"_Because you did not raise a gun to me, you will live," she told the coward, giving him her back._

_Walking towards to the hallway that the boy hid in, the woman carefully inserted two fingers into her gut and painfully pulled out the silver bullet lodged there before moving on to the bullet in her shoulder. Upon flinging the second bullet from her, the woman was suddenly tackled from the side. Despite the force at which the taller boy hurled himself at the woman, the woman was unmoved, as if the he had just flung himself at a stone statue. _

"_Are you all right?" The boy asked._

_The woman smiled fondly at the boy, her eyes crinkling and the tips of her fangs peeking out from beneath her lips. _

_BANG_

_The boy froze as a red flower blossomed on the side of his white dress shirt. _

_The woman's orange-red eyes widened and her mouth opened in a scream._

"_Eshel!" _

"Eshel!"

"Eshel!"

The raven haired young man started awake, springing into a sitting position with wide, frightened eyes.

"Bad dream, eh mate?"

Eshel turned his head to look at his blonde friend and gave him a shrug.

"Well, if you're done for the day, shall we walk home together?" The blond asked.

Eshel nodded, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before rising from the stone bench that he had laid out on.

"So what did you dream about?" Asked the blonde as they walked to meet their other friends.

"I don't quite remember," Eshel admitted.

All he could remember was seeing orange-red eyes.

* * *

Dust illuminated by the setting sun floated around the statuesque figure of Selena sitting in a windowsill. Like the last few days, she had been able to get a restful night's sleep so woke several hours before sunset.

All week she had been searching, traveling further and further from Southampton to find her master an adequate companion. She searched for something that was and all that she could only hope to be. She searched for someone that truly deserved her master. However, she had yet to find that person and was beginning to wonder if they even existed. With so many failures, it was a wonder that her master had not demanded that she leave him.

The sun dove behind the building across from Selena, breaking her trance. Blinking as all of her senses returned to her, Selena took in the image of a group of several teenage boys walking on the other side of the street and the sound of their laughter.

"Oh shut up you bloody wankers!" Cried a blushing brunette boy. With his dark hair, dark eyes and tan skin, Selena would guess that he was of Spanish descent. He could not have been more than sixteen or seventeen years old, having just lost the awkwardness of adolescence although not the innocence.

"You're the only one here still wanking, Eshel!" His blonde friend cried. "I really don't see why you won't just choose one of the girls always hanging about you. We're in the sixth form now. The only good thing about sticking around Westminster so long is the introduction of girls!"

"There are more girls than what lays beneath their skirts, Arthur," The Eshel muttered.

"I don't know about that. I've seen all there is to see of a woman and I'd say their best features definitely lay down there," Arthur returned, causing his companions to guffaw and Selena to turn from the window in disgust.

The blonde was quite a physical specimen, an Adonis with platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes. With his tall and lithe body and healthy tan, it was quite obvious that he was an athlete. He was beautiful as he was right then but if he were turned, the tan would eventually fade and Selena imagined that he would come to look like an exquisite marble statue. Selena was sure that her master could appreciate the boy's beauty but was somewhat wary of making him her master's new companion. From what she could tell, the boy was crass and immature. She wondered if he would even give her master the deference that he deserved.

Shaking away her initial impressions of the blonde, Selena jumped out of the window to follow the boys just as the last one, the brunette, turned the corner.

There was something about that one.

* * *

At three o'clock in the morning on a Thursday, the only people still awake in the rundown apartment building were the people that the church said "lived in sin." These included one unmarried couple, one detoxing heroin addict, one prostitute and her client, and one vampire.

Seras sighed as she heard the sound of a door swing open. Once again, the addict had succumbed to his cravings so was heading over to his dealer's flat. Seras wished that she could help the man but he was so ashamed of his habit that he would not even admit that he used heroin, much less that he was trying to stop. Because of this, Seras stayed where she was when she heard the man stumble out of the building.

Seras looked perfectly peace, sitting in lotus position on the spotted carpeting of her flat with her eyes closed. In her hands, she held what appeared to be a large black bowl filled with round glass beads. Gently, Seras tilted the bowl, causing the beads to swirl around the it in a counterclockwise motion.

The black bowl was actually her solidified shadows. Seras was performing one of the exercises that Rosiel had taught her and had improved greatly throughout the week. The first time that Seras had performed this exercise, her bowl looked like a colander and when she poured in the chickpeas that Rosiel instructed her to use, the ones that did not fall through the holes bounced straight out. She then spent the rest of the night counting out and picking up the one thousand, four hundred, and fifty six chickpeas one by one. Apparently, vampires' obsession for counting seeds included peas as well. Seras didn't know whether Rosiel instructed her to use them as a cruel joke or if it was to teach her to focus and empty her mind but she refused to use the chickpeas again. Her mind was in turmoil and every time she let her depressing thoughts surface, a hole would open in the bowl.

Hellsing deserved to fall. Seras was unwavering in this opinion. Hellsing was established to protect humans from vampires but was unreasonable about its methods. She had been told only to hunt those assigned because they committed crimes or those attacking humans. However, this was unreasonable because simply feeding from a human was considered attacking even if no harm came to the human. Even vampires who had never killed were hunted down. Hellsing's brand of "just shoot" justice, without due trial was a cause of much sadism and corruption in the organization and hostility within the vampire community outside of Hellsing. The war of Hellsing versus non-Hellsing vampires was so needlessly large that many humans were even known for being harmed in the crossfire. Couldn't Hellsing see the harm they were causing?

However, Seras had to wonder if joining with Rosiel to destroy Hellsing was the correct choice. She did not think that violence was the answer but joined him, knowing that he was planning to bring Hellsing down by killing all of the organization's operatives. Was violence the only way to end things? Would Hellsing truly be destroyed or would their actions cause an even greater war? While part of her argued that joining Rosiel was the only option, the other part sneered at her for her cowardice and accused her of taking the easiest path just because she feared death.

SSHHH

A hole formed in the bowl, causing a handful of beads to spill onto the ground. Taking a deep breath, Seras repaired the hole, emptied her mind, and focused on the sounds and scents surrounding her.

Moans from the prostitute living across the hall.

Constant swirling from the glass beads.

Dripping from the sink.

The smell of mildew.

Dripping.

Calm breaths.

_DRIP_

_Dracula sat up against the head of his coffin and duly noted the wooden stake through his heart and the glowing red pentagram surrounding him._

"_So it's my loss," Dracula noted weakly, blood dripping out of the sides of his mouth._

"_That's right. It's your loss. This isn't some nightmare you will awaken from. Your castle and territory are gone. Your servants are dead and your followers will soon be so also. And she chose Jonathan."_

_Dracula burst out in hysterical laughter. For once in his life, he could not blame anyone for what had befallen him but himself. Abram van Hellsing may have defeated him but Dracula he felt no hard feelings for the man. He had allowed himself to become weak and had made one too many mistakes. He should have killed Harker. He should not have let Mina feel neglected. He should have explained. He should have done a million things differently. But he didn't. Now he had nothing left but a stake through his heart. The pain of the stake was nothing though. _

_Abram van Hellsing huffed and grabbed Dracula by the lapels of his suit and proceeded to shake him._

"_You have nothing left, Count." Abram shouted. "You pitiful 'No Life King,' you have nothing left."_

_Dracula smiled sadly. "I still have my cursed life. But I honestly would give it to you if I could."_

_Abram gently laid Dracula back in his coffin and picked up one of his white gloved hands. _

"_I would not take your life but I will take your freedom," murmured Abram, caressing the back of Dracula's hand. _

"No!" Seras cried.

The bowl shattered, sending the glittering glass beads in a hundred directions.

* * *

AN: As some of you might have noticed, that last memory was based on Alucard's dream in volume 4 of the Hellsing manga. I reworded and added some (or many) lines to suit my purpose. Hope nobody minded.


	15. Chapter 14

_Integral sat primly in the middle of a dark room, a single glaring light shining down upon her, causing her platinum blonde hair to glow. She could not see anybody outside of the circle of light but swore she could feel thousands of eyes upon her, dissecting soul and passing their judgment. However, she was not afraid. Why should she be afraid when she knew that God himself would forgive her every sin? It was not the word of law but the spirit which was truly important and she was never anything but righteous, even when she was forced to kill her uncle. _

_Footsteps echoed throughout the room as a figure approached her. Integral neutrally regarded the stoic man who entered the light. The man could be quite imposing if he wanted to, with his impressive stature, perfect posture, and austere black three-piece suit. He never used his intimidation tactics on her but Integral still felt a lump of fear build in her throat form at the sight of him. _

"_What is it?" Integral curtly, trying to hide her fear behind a façade of annoyance. _

"_Because Hellsing will soon fall for our fathers' mistakes, I just wanted to suggest you get your affairs in order," The man casually replied._

"_Hellsing will not fall. Not on my watch. How dare you even suggest so?" Integral growled, silver eyes flashing._

_The man sighed and for once, Seras was able to see him as he really was. She saw past the illusion of strength and infallibility to see a balding middle aged, no more than forty three, who was haggard and wizen as if he were weighed down by a several lifetimes worth of mistakes. He looked like her father just before he died. _

"_Fight it if you want but this will be your last year as well as Hellsing's. Make it count." _

* * *

Integral jolted awake. Throwing the covers off herself, she grabbed her dress robe and rushed through the halls from her personal suite to the security room, where she knew she would find Walter.

"Walter," Integral called, flinging the door open, "Accept Lord Goddard's invitation, unobtrusively arrange a dinner party with our allies in the Round Table, increase security on the grounds, and bring my cousin the Hellsing grimoire and insist that he start studying it immediately."

Walter's eyebrows rose in surprise at Integral's disheveled appearance and unusual conduct but knew better than to comment on it. Instead, he just ignored it and replied, "At once, Sir Integral."

Remembering herself, Sir Integral straightened and donned her cool mask. Pivoting on her heel, she glided back down the hall to prepare herself for the day and the upcoming battles. Whatever threat rears its head against Hellsing, be it internal or external, she would eliminate it.

Those of Hellsing blood always had some magical and psychic abilities. That was how they were able to hunt vampires even before the advent of firearms and why there were only two surviving Hellsings. Members of the family were always considered a threat and were always hunted, if not by the Church 

my means of the Holy Inquisition then by various governments, agencies, and individuals by assassination.

Although Integral wished she had only had a bad dream, she knew that once again, her great grandfather, who she had never met, appeared before her in a vision. He had done so only twice before and both times, he had never failed her. However, this time, she would fight to make sure he failed. Visions of the future are never reliable although they may be close to what comes to pass. She could accept her own death but would never accept the fall of Hellsing. She would always fight to ensure its survival.

* * *

Ordinarily, a master vampire would give their fledgling some basic training before releasing them out into the world. This training would include senses training and basic skills such as hand-to-hand combat, hypnotism, illusions, calling familiar animals, and dispersing into a fog and calling up shadows if the fledgling was powerful enough. However, there were many skills that could not be taught and could only be learned by oneself, such as turning into a shadow or familiar animal. Seras knew all this but could not help but to ask Rosiel to guide her in turning into a shadow. She shouldn't have because all he had done was to laugh in her face. It was much worse than the incredulous look and cool rebuff that Selena had given her.

"That is not something I can teach you. It is instinctual and only the strongest of vampires can do it. Selena herself has only gained the ability these last twenty years so you shouldn't be able to for at least another hundred," Rosiel explained, the laughter still evident in his voice.

Seras frowned into her drink. Rosiel was underestimating her and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. They were not enemies but allies so there was no need to surprise him with her hidden strength. However, if she revealed her true strength, Rosiel would become suspicious as to why a year-old vampire was as powerful as his two hundred year old Selena. Last night, Seras had finally managed to turn her arms into shadows although she knew that she was not doing so correctly. Her arms felt as if they were on fire. That was why she decided to ask for help.

The ring of several shattering glasses caused both Rosiel and Seras to fix their eyes on the bar, where a red-faced Charlie had both hands planted solidly on the glass-covered bar and was shouting at a drunken patron while a distraught fellow bartender tried to pull him away.

"Foolish human. If he should die in his sleep tomorrow, his wife would be relieved of worrying daily that he would have a closed casket wake," Rosiel muttered, causing Seras to frown.

"I thought Charlie was your friend. It almost sounds as if you wish for him to die."

Rosiel sneered. "Friendship with a human is beneath me. Humans are nothing more than cattle and clowns. I may favor this clown but he is not my friend. If he were attacked right now, I do not even know if I would be troubled enough to help him."

Seras inwardly fumed. Charlie regarded Rosiel very highly and as a friend. To hear that Rosiel thought the kind man as no more than a jester made her very angry for his sake.

"If no human is worth your time, why did you protect Gavrilo Princip?" Seras asked, glaring at Rosiel.

"Who?"

"The murderer of Franz Ferdinand."

"Why would I protect a human, especially one that killed such a promising clown? Could you imagine if Ferdinand had taken the crown? There would have been chaos," he finished with a smirk.

Seras frowned in confusion. "But Uriel said that World War I was caused because you refused to hand over Princip to Selene."

"Well, he lied," Rosiel replied tersely. "The war between Selene and Morigan's vampires was caused by Selene, who was after the blood of all of Morigan's sons, including my own. She had already murdered seven by the time I defeated her."

Seras sat still as stone, brows furrowed, staring into her drink. There were major discrepancies between Uriel and Rosiel's takes on history. She honestly believed Rosiel when he said that he was not protecting Princip but why would Uriel say so? Had he just been mistaken, had he lied to her, or had he been lied to? Uriel had said that Hellsing pressured Selene into action but there could not have been anything that could have made her so cruel as to hunt down all of Morigan's sons. Sighing, Seras could not help but long for childhood, when everything was simple and there was always a definite "good" and "bad" guy in every conflict.


	16. Chapter 15

* * *

In the dark of night, four men in Hellsing uniforms peered over the wall of a parking garage and two snipers watched from the windows of neighboring buildings as their last target entered the vibrant night club.

"Well, blow it, Rookie," a gruff mustachioed man commanded.

Officer Rook nodded, held his breath, and hit the remote detonator as tears formed in his eyes. However, by the time that the Rook took in another breath, it was obvious to all that something was wrong with the bomb. The commander growled, sending a puff of foul cigarette and whiskey breath into Rook's lungs

"Rook and Furneau, go and see what is wrong. If the monsters find out about the bomb, they'll abandon this haunt and we'll never get this chance again."

Once again, Rook could complied, knowing that not following orders was just as dangerous as following, and wondered why he had agreed to join this dastardly organization in the first place.

* * *

Seras sat stiffly in her chair, staring down at her interwoven fingers. It was another new moon and another meeting of Rosiel's vampires and she had been given the seat at his right hand. Seras could feel Selena sitting at her left and staring daggers at her for taking the seat that had always been hers. The tension was so thick that the music from the club's band could not penetrate it to reach the vampire's ears.

"Selena. What is taking you so long for your assignment?" Rosiel asked, breaking the silence.

Selena removed her eyes from Seras's throat to look upon the face of her master. "I've found the perfect boy but-"

"Well turn him and send him to me," Rosiel commanded, interrupting her.

"But sir," Selena began before being interrupted yet again.

"But nothing! Just do as you are told. You're too stupid to strategize, too weak to do battle, and too ugly to take to my bed. What good are you if you can't even run a simple errand?" Rosiel shouted before pulling Leah, who had come to deliver the table's drinks, into his lap, causing the drinks to crash onto the floor. Leah's eyes went wide with fright but knew better than to resist as Rosiel bared her neck and proceeded to kiss it sensually. "You can be easily replaced, Selena," he whispered.

Selena's vision was dyed red as shameful tears filled her eyes. Glancing over at Seras, she saw the other vampire's sympathetic expression and for once, after nearly one hundred years of abuse, Selena became angry.

"How dare you shame me like this in front of a virtual stranger?" She cried, slamming her fists against the table and rising to her feet. "I've put up with your shit for too long. Replace me, I don't care!"

In shock, Rosiel relinquished his hold on Leah, allowing her to dart off into the club's back room like a frightened rabbit.

"Selena," Rosiel growled in warning.

"And stop calling me Selena!" Selena shouted. "I am not my namesake. I am not your beloved and hated Selene!"

Rosiel roared and got to his feet. "You don't know anything! Leave me before I do something I'll regret. I never want to see your face again."

Tears of blood rolled down Selena's face as she turned from the table. "What happened? You used to love me," she whispered.

Selena shot out the club's front door, baffling the onlooking humans whose eyes could not follow her movements. The table was thrown into chaos as Rosiel sat tiredly down. The other vampires immediately began to debate on how to deal with Selena. She knew so many secrets that it would be disastrous if she should ever betray them. All but Rosiel, who seemed oblivious to the conflict in his grief, lost themselves to the heated argument so Seras took that opportunity to slip into the back room to check on Leah.

* * *

Rook looked down upon the bleeding black haired beauty, tears streaming down his face. She had rushed into the back in tears and in surprise, he shot her. He must have punctured a lung because she couldn't scream. All she could do was to cough up pools of blood. Rook wished that he could save her from death, that he could stop her bleeding and call the paramedics. However, his logical mind just reminded him that he needed to complete his mission and in doing that, he would only kill her anyways.

"Leave the bitch and come help me," his partner, Furneau, called over his shoulder.

"She looks like my mother," Rook whispered, refusing to move.

The door to the back room was suddenly thrown open, allowing a petite blonde woman entrance but Rook did not even look up.

"Leah!" Seras cried, rushing to her dying friend's side and throwing the Hellsing agent against the wall.

Furneau looked up upon repairing the bomb to see Seras crying over the body of her friend. "Holy shit," he cried, "Vampire!"

Furneau, seeing his impending doom, hit the timer on the bomb just as Seras raised a clawed hand to swipe at his throat. Before Seras could bring her arm down, a shot rang out and Furneau collapsed against the wall, a bullet lodged between his eyes. Seras spun around in confusion and looked upon the other soldier whose dead eyes immediately told her that he had never taken a life before that night. Before she could even do anything, even if she wanted to, the soldier raised his gun again and took one last life, his own. Although Seras wanted to say a prayer for that poor soul who had obviously made a horrible mistake in joining Hellsing, she knew that she did not have the time. Quickly, she grabbed Leah and ran back into the club to warn the other people.

"Bomb!" Seras screamed.

Immediately, people screamed in fear and ran for the exits. Knowing that Seras could do no more, Seras turned to exit from the back room. Stepping into the alleyway, Seras readjusted her grip on Leah before jumping onto the roof of a neighboring building and from there, to another roof.

Seras gently laid Leah down and lifted her shirt to examine her wound. Leah had been shot on her right side and Seras knew that the bullet went through her liver and into her lung. Seras began to suck at the wound and drove her tongue into the bullet hole, hoping that the coagulant in vampire saliva would be enough to close the wound. Although deep down she knew that Leah would die from the blood loss even if she managed to get her to a hospital, Seras could not give up the hope that she could save her.

Leah went into shock before Sears would lift her head and admit to herself that she would not be able to save her life. However, that is not to say that Seras had given up on saving Leah. Seras bit into her wrist before shoving it into Leah's mouth, letting the blood drip down her throat. She had been told that vampires could only turn those of the opposite gender but perhaps everybody was as wrong in that assumption as the one which said that vampires could not reproduce.

Seras was filled with hope as she felt Leah begin to suck at her wrist. However, that hope turned to dread as the smell of death assaulted her nose and Leah bit her. Seras jerked her wrist away.

"Stop!" Seras yelled, causing Leah to fall still.

Seras's eyes swam red as she looked down on Leah's blank face. Unlike any ghoul that Seras had ever seen, Leah still had beautifully pale skin, not leathery gray skin. Also, she did not look to be in pain. However, her eyes were still dead.

In the month and a half that she had left Hellsing and she had been forced to drink from live humans, not once had she ever had a human die practically in her arms. Hating to see this caricature of who her friend used to be, Seras raised a hand and brought it down with great force in a judo chop against the ghoul's neck, effectively decapitating it. The ghoul's eyes fell close and Seras stumbled away from it to hang her head over the side of the roof, trying to escape the foul smell of death.

During the ordeal with Leah, the outside world had faded from Seras's notice. However, now calmly grieving, the sound and sight of hundreds of panicking humans in the street below assaulted her. For the sake to killing the twelve vampires in the club that night, Hellsing had accepted killing hundreds of innocents. It was quite obvious to her that the Hellsing organization was just as monstrous if not more so than any vampire.

Seras shook as hate consumed her.

* * *

Rosiel stood on top of the parking garage overlooking the lot where Summertime used to be, stomping on a Hellsing soldier's corpse until all of his bones had shattered and the flesh was a giant pulpy mess. That night just wasn't his night. Selena had rebelled against him, Hellsing soldiers had tried to blow him up, and one of his council members had been killed while hunting down the culprits. Rosiel had not actually cared for the apelike man but the fact that he had lost a good subordinate was a bother. To top it all off, his favorite club had been blown up. He would have rather preferred it if it had been his flat that he lost instead.

Rosiel froze mid-stomp as a chill of power flowed over him, causing his hairs to rise. Not since Selene had he felt such great power. Turning down the street to find the source, Rosiel could not believe his eyes. The little blonde vampire who he had tricked into counting chickpeas was now a fearsome sight standing on the edge of a roof to overlook the crowded street. Her eyes were a pure black, her claws and fangs had lengthened, and shadows hung from her body like a magnificent gown.

"She looks like you did before you went into battle with Selene," one of Rosiel's council members whispered.

Seras tilted her head back into an eerie howl and vampires throughout the city stopped to heed her call.

**Enemies of Hellsing, gather at Southampton Common. **


	17. Chapter 16

* * *

In the dark of night, hundreds of heads were turned up reverently, eyes trained on a shrouded figure atop a solitary oak tree. Even vampiric eyes could not make out the face of the one on the top branches, as heavily shrouded in shadows as they were without the light of the moon. However, from the centuries old vampires to the newly turned vampires, whose blood was weak and who had lost track of their roots, all knew instinctively who was up in that tree. It was a true No-Life Queen. She would lead them to victory, glory, and greatness if they chose to follow her.

"Hellsing."

Hisses rippled through the crowd and a growing mass of vampires encircled two odd members of their brethren.

"Do not fear," the female told her male companion, "She will protect us."

Despite the woman's reassurance, the man still stood stiffly, hand hanging by his gun holster as the other vampires surrounded them.

The woman folded arms in across her chest in annoyance. In her customary tailed black coat, fitted white waistcoat, breeches and boots, the woman attracted attention wherever she went because except for the fact that she wore no shirt under her waistcoat, exposing her ample cleavage, her style of clothing was reminiscent of a late eighteenth century gentleman's. However, it wasn't her odd manner of dress that brought unneeded attention to them that night, but her partner's. It was just poor judgment to come to the gathering in his Hellsing uniform.

The hisses stopped and eyes turned away from the couple. The queen was coming and the crowd parted to let her through.

When Seras stopped in front of the Hellsing vampires, the man stepped back in fright. Her eyes were as black as an abyss and he felt that if he stared too long, he would fall forever. The man fell to one knee, eyes clenched shut.

"Rise, Anton" Seras commanded.

Anton rose obediently although he refused to lift his head.

The woman, Analie bowed low but rose again to meet Seras's gaze. Seras knew who these two vampires were because according to the book that Alucard gave her, they were the only two Hellsing vampires stationed in Southampton and they were both allies.

"We await your orders, Seras Victoria," Analie said.

Upon hearing her own name, Seras snapped out of her shadowed state. Her eyes brightened to their usual red and the shadows trailing her and enshrouding her body receded.

"How much do you know?" Seras asked warily.

"Everything," Analie replied. "He visited us two weeks ago. And I must say, he would be proud to see you today. You are a true queen of the night."

Analie looked fondly upon the little blonde vampire who positively glowed with happiness in response to her simple assurance. She was so powerful yet so innocent. Analie prayed that the years would not turn her cruel and apathetic, as it does so many vampires.

Rosiel angrily pushed himself into the circle where Seras and Analie stood.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rosiel asked Seras contemptuously. "Destroy that Hellsing bitch."

Anton raised his head to glare at Rosiel. "Watch how you speak," he growled.

Seras gave Rosiel an impatient frown. "We have discussed this before. You will accept all Hellsing allies that I send your way. Now just tell these people why they are gathered here," Seras demanded, gesturing to the crowd around them.

Rosiel seethed from being ordered around by a greenhorn female. She was powerful, he would admit, but she was nothing compared to him.

Rosiel used the shadows to lengthen himself so that he towered over the other vampires. He decided to lead the people not because Seras had demanded him to, but because it would be a sign to the others that he was their true leader and therefore stronger and dominant.

Only Seras, Rosiel, Analie, and Anton remained after Rosiel finished his speech and once all other ears went out of range, the shouting began.

"I will not accept that one," Rosiel snarled, pointing to Analie, "She betrayed our kind for Hellsing. She might as well have killed her own master."

"I didn't know what would happen! And I only killed when I had to."

"_Had_ to? Well what's changed? How do we know that you're not still Hellsing's pet, that you won't _have_ to kill again?"

"Nothing has changed. My loyalties lay where they always have been."

"So you _will _betray us again."

"No. I might kill _you_ but would never work against him or now, Seras. I will withstand the pain."

Analie and Rosiel stood nose to nose and Seras suspected that they would soon come to blows. Fearing an outbreak of violence, Seras tried to use her vampiric strength to pry the two apart. Unfortunately, they used their vampiric strength to resist.

BANG

Analie, Rosiel, and Seras jumped apart when a bullet dug itself into the ground at their feet. Immediately, the three spun to stand back to back in a triangular defensive position. It was uncanny how Rosiel and Analie could instantly come to work with each other against a common threat.

Seras laughed when she saw the smoking gun in Anton's hands.

Rosiel growled. "I'm glad you find me so amusing but I will not stay here to be laughed at."

"But where will you go?" Seras asked.

Despite Seras's concern, Rosiel did not acknowledge her but instead dispersed into a fog, causing her to purse her lips in displeasure.

"Good riddance," Analie huffed.

Seras sighed. "I can only hope he will be more cooperative with other Hellsing vampires."

"I don't think it will be a problem," Anton assured her, "He didn't seem to have a problem with me."

Analie gave a slight nod of agreement. "We just have some bad history."

"Can I ask about it?" Seras asked.

Analie gave Seras a grim smile. "I guess it began way back when Eve, Morigan, and Cayin died. Most vampires, Rosiel and my master included, insisted that Dracula had gone insane and wanted to leave. However, I chose to stay with Selene to stand by Dracula. He condemns me for choosing them over my own master, the one who gave me this second life. "

Analie began to tear. "And I really didn't know what Selene had planned."

Seras laid a gentle hand upon Analie's shoulder. "What did she plan?" She asked.

"I came to her room one night. She was crying. She said that Hellsing had Dracula, that she had to kill Rosiel for his freedom. She was so pitiful. She had never taken a life before, not even that of a human. I hated to see her that way. I agreed to help her. I didn't know she would go after anyone else, I swear it!"

Analie tried to continue her story but by this time, she was sobbing so much, she was unintelligible.

"Master…I shouldn't have… Tortured…"

Seras's eyes began to tear as well and she pulled the bawling Analie into a tight embrace. If that was the truth of what happened ninety years ago, what a horrible truth it was. The unerring love of one daughter turned her into a callous murderer. Her cruelty then started a cycle of violence and hatred between her few followers and the ones she wronged for her father.

* * *

Rosiel removed the last gun from the wall of his flat. Southampton had nothing left for him. He would leave it and the memories of that disastrous night behind. First, Selena left him, then, Hellsing tried to blow him up, then, he lost a trusted advisor, and finally, he had a run-in with that stupid bint Eilana.

Hopefully, Selena was alright. It seemed like that girl Seras Victoria had managed to call all the vampires in the area to her. Hundreds throughout the city, more than he knew existed, seemed to have left whatever they were doing to come, judging by the number of blood-smeared faces and half-dressed vampires at the gathering. It was likely that Selena had already left the city by the time Seras called or that she had simply ignored it, but a part of Rosiel still worried that she was still in the vicinity and got hurt when Summertime exploded or even worse, that Eilana had killed her.

Seras insisted on working with Eilana but he would never trust her. She had done too much to wrong their kind. She had always been loyal to a fault and her loyalties had always been misplaced. She had chosen to stand by Dracula and Selene when she should have stood with her master against Dracula, the first vampire to kill another. She had even chosen to take Selene's path even after Selene murdered her master. He could never understand her reasoning but perhaps he shouldn't be expected to. Perhaps she was just as insane as Dracula, or Alucard, as he now styles himself.

Rosiel had great anticipation for the winter solstice. To bring Dracula to justice was his foremost goal. Destroying Hellsing would just be a bonus. Having Seras by his side when he did all this would just be icing on the cake. She was alluringly powerful and although she acted like a half-wit, he suspected that it was just that, an act. From that night's demonstration, Rosiel knew that she had not been sired by Uriel, as she claimed, but Dracula himself. For a young vampire, she was just too powerful.

Despite the terrible events of that night, Rosiel smiled. He would count down the nights until he would face down Dracula. Rosiel could almost imagine Dracula's look of betrayal when Seras stands by his side against her master.

* * *

_Dracula brushed a golden lock of hair back from Lucy's sweat-drenched forehead. She was deathly pale and her condition was quickly deteriorating. _

_Humans were too much. First, priests poison his Lucy and kill her beloved mother for "living in sin," then that stupid Hellsing poisons her further when he tries to heal her. That piss-poor doctor excuse of a doctor was too stupid to recognize the symptoms of poisoning, which Dracula was trying to treat by sucking out, even if the alien poison caused his own weakening. The idiot then botched the blood transfusions to treat Lucy's anemia. Dracula was a vampire. He knew blood and he knew that certain bloods should not be mixed, lest they create a sticky coagulated mess. It really is true that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. _

_Lucy would soon die and this horrible knowledge caused Dracula an unearthly pain. At first, he had become attached to her because she reminded him of his lost daughter, Morigan. However, upon spending time with her, the girl had found her own place within his heart. Lucy was indomitable spirit. _

_She longed for the freedom enjoyed only by men, to leave home and live she pleased, to travel and see the world, and to search for and marry for love. She had such wild dreams yet consigned herself to the shackles of society's expectations, deciding to marry well in order to care for her elderly widower mother, who was going bankrupt without a man to support her. In the end, what good were all of Lucy's painful decisions? Her mother was dead and she was dying. _

_Dracula gently nuzzled Lucy's cheek, hoping that she would open her bright blue eyes and give him a blinding smile but knowing that she would not. Not now. She was in pain right now but he would make it better. He would turn her, giving her the life and freedom that she so wanted, the freedom that she deserved though refused for her mother. She could spend an eternity traveling the world and searching for love, laughing for him all the while. She could be his Little Lucy forever. _


	18. Chapter 17

"It is a shame that such a good man had to leave us so soon but his was a noble death for a noble cause. Rest assured that he is with his Father now."

Father Hadison laid a sympathetic hand upon the sobbing widow's head and stepped away, leaving her to her grief.

While his head was high and his leisurely walk was confident to reassure the widow, all that the diminutive priest wanted to do was to join her on the ground to cry. The man had supported a noble cause indeed but Father Hadison could not find any solace in that fact. To support the cause, the man's job was to take lives. Father Hadison wondered if the good man would indeed be with the Father despite this.

The priest let out an inaudible sigh as he sat down in the confessional, where he had seen a black-clad woman enter earlier. Hopefully, it was not another widow.

"May God, who has enlightened every heart, help you to know your sins and trust in his mercy."

"Amen. Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I cannot remember the number of years since my last confession."

The woman's voice shook with emotion and the priest nodded in sullen understanding. The woman beside him was another lost soul who had finally decided to turn to God only when she reached the lowest point in her life.

"Please proceed."

"When I was seventeen, my entire family was traveling across Europe when we were attacked by the side of a lonely road. My sister and I were gravely injured while everybody else was murdered. A man then found us and healed us. He asked for nothing in return. In fact, he was so kind as to adopt us.

"Eventually, my sister left to have her own life but I stayed with the man because I had come to love him as more than a father. Over time, he became more and more cruel and being the weak woman that I was, I found myself gladly giving up more and more of my soul to please him. He was the master and I was the slave."

"Tell me of your sins."

"For this man, I became an adulteress. I doubt that you can find any woman who has bedded more men or is more dishonest than I in the entire kingdom."

"If you loved this man, why did you bed others?"

"Because he asked it of me.

"I clearly remember the first man I bedded. He was cruel. He laughed when I cried the first time. I was assigned to lure the man away from his wife, a plain but gentle woman who was the envy of all who knew her. Because her family had slighted my master in some way, I was to ruin her life.

"Before I seduced her husband, the wife was cherished. However, after I did so, her husband didn't even care enough about her to hide his infidelity. Whenever we were in bed, I could hear her crying from her room. One night, the crying stopped. She had taken her life along with that of her unborn child. Upon finding her, her husband just coolly remarked about how he was free to marry me then. I flew into a rage and killed him before burning down his mansion.

"What's worse than the fact that I killed at least three was the fact that I was happy when my master praised me for driving the woman to suicide."

Silence descended upon the confessional as Father Hadison searched for what to say. There were times when even the wisdom of the Bible could not help and what was needed was human wisdom and understanding. There was so much to be said to this woman yet so little that would help her. He wished that he could find something insightful to say but he knew that even if he sat beside her all day, he would not. Just because he was a servant of God, it didn't mean that he was infinitely wise. He was but a man.

"I hope you realize that although the husband might have been a cruel man, it was not in your place to judge or condemn him.

_"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." _

"I know this and I could never claim that I had brought him to justice. I am a worse person than he was and even if I were free from sin, I would not dare to assume the duties of my Lord, unlike my master, who thinks himself a god worthy of judging all men.

"My master is a heathen and curses the Church and God. For him, I turned my back to God as well. I stopped attending Mass, I stopped confessing, and I stopped praying. I pretended to hate God and eventually, I didn't need to pretend any longer. I blamed God for all my unhappiness and the fact that I was never able to gain the man's love."

"And do you repent?"

"Yes. I beg God for his forgiveness and thank him for giving me the strength and inspiration to leave my master. For all that I have done, I would have gladly accepted it if he had smote me, yet he has given me the strength to escape my life of sin. I swear on whatever is left of my soul that his kindness will not go to waste. I will put the rest of my life to good use."

Father Hadison put on a crooked smile, relieved that he was wrong about the woman being lost. She had seen the error of her ways and found God again. That was a most wonderful thing and he would pray that she be able to redeem her soul.

"He works in many mysterious ways. I am surprised that you were able to recognize it. How did He choosh to act this time?" Father Hadison couldn't help but ask.

"Through a boy," the woman answered in a loving voice. "My master is a sodomite. He sent me to find him a man worthy of his bed. I was despairing about this cruel command when I saw him, a beautiful boy of seventeen. There was something about him that drew me to him. For the first time in many years, I wanted something for myself. I wanted him. I love the boy. He is so kind and gentle and pure that he shames me. He makes me wish I were a better person. Loving him made me realize that my love for my master had faded and that the only reason that I stayed by his side was because I was weak and afraid of being alone.

"Last night, my master demanded that I bring the boy to him. I could not bear the idea that he be corrupted so I stood up to my master. He demanded that I leave him and I found the courage to do so."

"I'm glad," Father Hadison slurred.

Father Hadison fell sideways into the wall of the confessional with a loud thump before sliding out of his seat.

"Father, are you alright?" the woman worriedly asked. "Father?"

* * *

"Tea with the Earl was nice, wasn't it?" Arthur asked, trying to draw his drowsy companion into conversation. Unfortunately, he wasn't successful and his companion continued to nod. With a sigh of resignation, Arthur turned to gaze out the backseat of his black Bentley.

"Traffic is especially bad today," Arthur noted, tugging at his collar.

"Indeed, Lord Arthur," the chuffer agreed. "Apparently, there has been an accident at the cathedral. The paramedics have been called."

Shadowed against the evening sky, the bricked façade of Westminster Cathedral was dark and imposing. However, Arthur was neither intimidated by the building nor did he feel hate at the sight of this symbol of Catholicism. Instead, he felt wonder and amusement, having fallen back upon his old childhood fantasy that the cathedral was a gigantic cake, with its dark brick wall as chocolate layering and the light stone as frosting.

A stretcher was brought out of the cathedral, followed by a frantic brunette woman. The woman seemed to be oblivious to everything but the stretcher being loaded into the ambulance, including the priest who she was dragging across the grounds, his rosary having gotten caught in the lace of her short black dress.

Arthur's icy blue eyes widened in recognition.

"Eshel, isn't that your girlfriend?"

Although Eshel was just dozing off, at the mention of his girlfriend, his mind instantly lost its sleepy haze. His head snapped up and his eyes shot in the direction that Arthur was pointing, allowing him to immediately pick out the woman in question from the crowd.

"See you tomorrow," Eshel called, jumping out of the car with nary a look back.

"Ditched for a dame. I should have just kept my bloody mouth shut," Arthur grumbled.

Eshel pulled his suit jacket on as he dashed across the stopped traffic.

"Rena," he called. "Rena."

Selena, baptized Renata and affectionately called Rena, spun around upon hearing Eshel's voice. She spun so quickly, the entangled rosary was torn from her dress, freeing the disheveled priest who had never succeeded in grabbing her attention.

Rena closed the short distance between herself and Eshel and flung her arms around his neck. Underestimating her strength, both were thrown to the floor.

Rena lay on top of Eshel and pressed her head into his shoulder, letting his jacket soak up her tears. Even if Eshel had the strength to get up, his breath having been knocked out of his lungs in the fall, he wouldn't have wanted to disturb the distraught woman. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and cooed soothingly in her ear.

"What's wrong?" Eshel asked once Rena had finally calmed, running a hand through her dark tresses.

"The Father had a stroke," Rena sniffed. "I was making my confession, my first one in years, and he had a stroke. It's a sign. I was wrong. God doesn't want me back after all."

"Don't be silly," Eshel chided, "Nobody can understand the workings of the Lord although I doubt that He would be so cruel as to send you a sign by making His faithful servant suffer."

Eshel sat up, pulling Rena into his lap and kissed the crown of her head. "No more tears. Tears never helped anything."

Rena nodded and quickly rose to her feet, wiping her eyes before Eshel could notice their red tinge.

"I thought you would be out of town tonight," Eshel remarked, straightening.

"I ran away," Rena explained.

"Do you think that's best?"

"Yes."

Eshel looked into Rena's persimmon colored eyes and saw nothing but resolution. Knowing nothing about her personal background, the only thing that he could do was to trust her judgment.

Theirs was a strange relationship. They spoke for hours on end but neither even knew the other's full names. Also, despite only knowing each other for only two weeks, both would swear that they were in love.

"If you have nowhere to go, I would love it if you stayed with me for a while," Eshel offered. "It's no trouble, really. We can live like roommates and you can have your own room."

Eshel and Rena did not have a physical relationship. Eshel knew that Rena did not want it so he would respect her wishes and would never pressure her into it. He even accepted her refusal to French kiss after he once nicked his tongue on one of her teeth.

The offer for her own bedroom was appreciated although totally unnecessary. Rena knew that Eshel was nothing if not honorable so even if she had been forced to share a bed with him, he would not take advantage of her. Her hesitation arose from many other factors.

Although some vampires chose to rest in the sewers or abandoned buildings, the idea was horrific to her, even in her current state. Rena had always lived in luxury although she had no money or property of her own. To maintain her current lifestyle, she could always use her vampiric charm to take advantage of a well-off human but she had sworn that from then on, she would live as an honest woman.

"I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you," Rena murmured.

"No," Eshel lightly countered. "This would be an almost even exchange. You get a place to live and I get the honor of your company. I'd say I'm getting the better deal."

Rena smiled timidly. She wanted the opportunity to spend more time with him but she was afraid that she would let him in too close. She didn't want him to discover the truth about her or her past.

"I wouldn't be much company. I live a somewhat nocturnal existence."

"This works out fine since I am away all day weekdays for school. We can spend time together all night."

"What about your sleep?"

"I'll learn to sleep during the day."

"During school?"

"Yes."

Although Eshel could not have been completely serious during this whole exchange, he carried it out deadpan. Rena laughed, taking in his serious expression and the chime-like quality of her laughter brought a youthful grin to his face.

Rena entwined her fingers with Eshel's and leaned lovingly on his arm. Looking up, she flashed him a dazzling smile.

"Thank you," she crooned.

* * *

_AN: I was really hesitant to write this chapter because of the religious theme. I myself am not religious at all and have never confessed so I don't know the proper protocol for doing so or how priests and confessors interact. I decided to brave any mistakes though because I had imagined Rena/Selena to be a devout Catholic before she joined Rosiel._


	19. Chapter 18

The wind swept through Alucard's hair as he stood to admire the view of London. He was at one of his favorite vista points, on an arm of the cross atop of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. To the east, he saw the glowing bullet-like shape of The Gherkin, reminding him of human ingenuity and violence. To the south, the murky River Thames could not be seen exactly, but its existence was obvious, a dark ribbon through a luminous sea. All around him, the city glowed and reached up into the purple light-polluted sky as filth and beauty collided.

"The view is better up here, Marigold."

A black plume of what appeared to be smoke rose up from a street away and was swept with the wind to wrap tightly around the other arm of the cross, solidifying into the little vampire Marigold.

"You're right," Marigold mused, dangling her dainty Mary Jane clad feet off the cross. "I should have been more careful, watching from further away with binoculars. Because I could barely see you, I assumed that you wouldn't be able to sense me. I guess I should expect such power from a grandson of the original vampire Dracula, eh? Uriel gave me quite a fight despite being half my age and his disability. I suppose that if you were unsealed, I wouldn't even be alive to chatter in your ear?"

Alucard didn't respond and Marigold hadn't expected him to. In their time together, Marigold had noticed that silence was usually a sign of his agreement.

Pressing on, Marigold tilted her head up and to a side as she asked her next question with childlike curiosity.

"Dracula. 'Son of the Dragon.' Why is it that name had such power over you that Hellsing was able to seal you with it? Is it because you are of the House of Draculesti? Or was it because your father carried the title Dracul?"

"I see you've done research on my human family," Alucard chuckled, "but how do you know that I am not the original vampire, Vlad Dracula?"

Marigold laughed. "Because we all know that Vlad Tepes was killed by Abram Van Hellsing."

Alucard smirked. "Indeed. Being close to the Hellsing family for all these years, I suppose you know the secrets behind the sealing of vampires and are prying for my given name so that Hellsing can better seal me."

The wide smile on Marigold's face melted into a slight frown.

"I know you think me a bad vampire for my strong support of Hellsing but I am not without morals. I don't support the sealing of my kin."

"I suppose death is an agreeable alternative to slavery, which is why you agreed to kill Uriel."

"He was an unacceptable threat to the cause."

"He'll be avenged eventually."

"Was that a threat?" Marigold growled.

"No, I will not raise a hand against you, little girl."

Marigold took sucked in a breath, shaking in anger. "I know you are up to something, Alucard. I don't know what yet but I'll be damned if you succeed."

"I didn't know you believed in hell," Alucard hummed. "And a few hints for your little game: my father was styled Dracul, I am of the House of Draculesti, and my wife's name was Catherine."

Alucard jumped from his perch, transforming into bats on his way down, leaving a fuming Marigold behind.

"Catherine…You will not succeed, Alexandru Mircea!" Marigold shouted behind him.

None of the bats faltered in their flight.

* * *

The shuffle of boots reverberated throughout the spacious Hellsing mansion, a constant reminder that despite the dark and foreboding atmosphere that surrounded the place, it was always was filled with life.

As a part of increased security measures, two sections of elite soldiers had been brought into the mansion from the barracks to patrol it. Every minute of the day, four pairs of soldiers, one whole section, would march through the previously private halls and grounds, fully armed against any threats. However, Integral still did not feel safe.

Integral did not trust her human soldiers any more than her vampiric ones. While vampires were monsters who could betray her because of their lust for violence and chaos, the dangerous ones were kept in control and the loyal ones were blindly so. On the other hand, humans could not be controlled and were morally weak. They could be bought to spy on her, which is why the number of servants in the household was always minimal. Perhaps bringing more people into the mansion was a bad idea.

"Walter."

"Yes, Sir Integral?"

Integral held a cigar tightly in her fingers but the fragrant and soothing tobacco did nothing for her nerves. Deciding that she had enough, she snuffed it out in her overfilled ash tray.

"What is the situation with Hermes?"

"He is still disinclined to head Hellsing and was unwilling to take the grimoire. However, I left it in his possession should he feel the urge to read it. With his disapproving mother away on holiday, I thought that he might be accepting of our proposal. Unfortunately, when his mother left, she also brought her personal maid with her so we no longer have any spies in the household."

"An acceptable decision. How long will the Lady be gone?"

"She had planned for a month although it may be more or less, depending on her mood."

Integral leaned back in her chair, mouth pressed into a straight line. "I always disliked that woman. She's too emotional, unfitting for the mother of a Hellsing."

"If I may be so bold as to ask Sir," Walter began, "but why do you insist upon making Hermes your heir? Don't you worry that he is corrupted by his mother's sentimentalities or his father's ideals?"

"When Richard died, we had confiscated all of his possessions that concerned Hellsing and vampires. Hermes was too young to understand his father's goals then so I highly doubt that he knows them now."

"But what if his mother shared them with him?"

"His mother is a fool. Until Richard's death, she had believed him to be a historian."

"In her defense, Sir Richard did have a doctorate in history and had founded the Hellsing Preservation Society."

Although others would have missed it, Integral saw the slight quirk of Walter's lips that betrayed his amusement and gave him a scowl.

"You are dismissed."

Integral grabbed another cigar out of the ornately carved cigar box on her desk, a Hellsing heirloom dating back to her great grandfather Henry's time. It was a present from King George V for freeing his only daughter, Princess Mary from the influence of a vampire.

In an uncharacteristic move, Integral pushed away her work and left her office for her personal study, knowing that she could not focus enough to do a good job. Her great grandfather's words echoed throughout her mind, drowning out any other thoughts.

_Hellsing will soon fall for our fathers' mistakes… _What did that mean? True, Hellsing's methods were sometimes dubious, but they were all for the greater good. Integral could not think of any act of true evil that the family had ever committed or any mistakes that might affect them in the future. Of course, never having much of an interest in history, Integral had not been paying much attention to her father's accounts of it. Knowing that the best place to find the truth in forgotten history is through materials of the time, Integral resolved to read the Leaders' Journals.

Reaching into a glass enclosed bookcase, Integral gently pulled out several aged leather bound journals. In this case, surrounded by runes for protection, lay many important Hellsing artifacts. It was normally housed the Hellsing Grimoire but without its presence, the greatest treasures that it held were the journals.

It was tradition that every head of the Hellsing family, the leader of the Hellsing Organization, keep a journal to help future generations. It was a tradition that Integral's father broke and she was planning to also. Integral had never really made use of the journals. The only journal that she had ever read was that of Abram Van Hellsing and that was such a waste of time, she had not bothered to read any others. Abram's writings were extremely difficult to read, having no definite style or organization, and it was barely legible. When she finally was able to decode it, she found that it was filled with sporadic mission reports and untrue facts about vampires. Despite dying in 1897, he never even bothered to write after 1893, when he defeated Dracula. Fearing the tedium of reading vampire mythology, Integral only planned to read the journals of Abram's descendants.

Integral set the stack of journals on an end table before sinking into her favorite chair, an old well-worn maroon leather wing chair. Hesitantly, she picked up the first journal that she would read that night, the journal of Luthor, Abram's son, and one of the most celebrated Hellsing leaders. He was the head of Hellsing from 1897 until his death on the 17th of November, 1918. His journal was bound to be interesting. He had witnessed World War I and the fall of Selene and he was the man who brought vampires into Hellsing service through an agreement with the defeated vampire. Integral mused that she should have read his journal before.

* * *

_Luthor's Journal_

_5 January 1913_

_Today, just as I was about to leave the mansion to buy a new pair of gloves, little Henry ran up to me in a panic and begged that I stay, lest his mother whip him. It turns out that he had been playing with his mother's pearl necklace when it broke, causing most of the pearls to roll into the dungeons. He collected as much as he could but was too afraid to go into the dungeon. Not surprising, considering that he's only ten years old, after all. Although I promised Father that I'd stay out of the dungeon, I decided to break the promise to help Henry with his quest to retrieve the pearls. I couldn't bear seeing how scared he was and neither could I bear the thought of him being punished. He's a good boy, my only boy. _

_In the dungeon, Henry and I managed to pick up every pearl but one. Realizing that the last pearl had rolled under the crevice of the strange silver door at the end of the hallway, we gathered our courage and entered. What we saw scared the dickens out of us. Against the far wall, wrapped in chains, was a skeleton. In fear, Henry turned to run out the door but not looking where he was going, he ran straight into me before falling backwards and hitting his head hard enough to crack his head. I was so intent on stopping the bleeding that I could not notice my surroundings. During that time, Henry's blood had trickled to the skeleton, bringing it to life and giving it the appearance of an animated corpse, the kind that Chinese Tao Masters commanded. In fear, I left the missing pearl and candelabra that I had carried in the room. I just scooped Henry into my arms and ran, slamming the silver door shut behind me. Stumbling through the dark dungeons, I finally was able to reach the ground floor to rush a servant to fetch the doctor. Thankfully the doctor assures me that Henry will be fine with a few days rest. _

_After the doctor left, I went back down into the room with the skeleton to retrieve the pearl. I could not allow Henry's injury to be for naught. Of course I was afraid that I might be attacked, but I am a Hellsing. I have already slain many supernatural beings, including vampires and a rampaging Tao Master's doll. _

_When I reached the monster's room, I saw that no longer was it a corpse sitting against the wall but what appeared to be a man. Oddly enough, the man looked somewhat like Father. _

"_Who and what are you?" I asked._

_The man opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out for a little while. He became quite frustrated. Eventually, he was able to spit out a name, "Alucard." _

_It turns out that he was a vampire that Father had sealed and locked up. It was puzzling situation. Father had developed sealing spells to subdue vampires in order to make slaying them more easily. I could not understand why this one was kept alive. Alucard…Dracula, one of the defeated Count Dracula's descendants likely. Perhaps he was kept alive because although an abomination, he did not commit any crimes against mankind to warrant death. It is unlikely, but possible. Father was a forgiving man. _

"_Why did Father spare you?" I asked._

"_He didn't spare me. He just could not slay me," He replied, also oddly sounding like Father._

"_Free me," he said, "and you can have anything your heart desires."_

"_Free you so that you can slaughter my family? I think not," I answered._

"_I am not only your prisoner but also an honorable man. I trust you are also. You may hold me ransom and free me when you get your demands." _

"_I shall think about it," I told him._

_I won't think about it though. The monster is no doubt dangerous if Father could not slay him. Also, I would never let a vampire loose into the world to kill and create chaos. If he cannot be slain, he will just stay imprisoned to atone for his sins. _

* * *

_23 June 1913_

_For a long time now, I had noticed the changes in Henry. He has become much more quiet and reserved. Besides play, he had gained more academic interests, philosophy in particular. I had just dismissed it as part of the child's maturation. I now know the truth. _

_We were riding home from Mass this morning, discussing the sermon, as always, when Henry suddenly brought up an idea._

"_Perhaps Jesus did not die for us," he said, "but for himself. Perhaps he had wanted to die."_

_His mother and I were quite horrified at his blasphemous wonderings and she had a fit. To suggest that the son of God did not appreciate his Father's gift, the gift of life… His mother only stopped shouting when little Ana, afraid because she didn't understand the situation, began to cry. Needless to say, the __ride back to the mansion was quite awkward. When we finally reached it, I called Henry to my office, wanting to understand his reasoning so I could better purge his mind of such nonsense._

"_Why do you think Jesus wanted to die?" I asked._

"_Life is only precious with death. Without death, life would be taken for granted. It is only because Jesus died, for our sin, if the Bible can be trusted, that we celebrate him as we do." He said. _

_Nevermind his tone and doubt of the Bible, what he said was very profound. To think that a child could understand the beauty of life and death…_

"_And furthermore," he said, surprising me because I did not expect him to continue, "Life is also pain so death is also a gift, meant to deliver us from our suffering. Why should Jesus be denied this gift? If he accepted immortality, he would have to suffer through watching countless numbers of his followers eventually age and die. Only a fool would want immortality and only an extremely callous man would be able to endure it. Alucard wishes for death. He says that he would rather have died young than to watch his wife and daughters die. If Jesus could die, don't you think he would be wise enough to appreciate the gift?"_

_I was rendered speechless. I could not find any way to argue against what he did. Instead, I focused on something else to the distract both of us. I asked how he knew Alucard wished for death. He said Alucard told him. _

_It seems that for months now, Henry has been sneaking down into the basement to spend time with the abomination. The fiend has bee__n seducing him with his words and corrupting his mind. I want it out of my home and away from my family. I've decided to contact the vampire that would pay for its ransom. Perhaps I could make a deal for my advantage. _

* * *

_3 October 1913_

_I've found some papers concerning Father's late work. Besides seals to make vampires easier to slay, it seems that he was also working on seal to control a vampire's power and enslave them. To control a vampire… it is frightening what power one would have. I don't know why Father hadn't added his work to the Grimoire but I did it for him._

_It seems that Alucard was the first vampire to be sealed successfully and that he is powerful. The seal to enslave is supposed to be quite trying. Father's notes say that if the seal is attempted on a weak vampire, it dies a slow and extremely painful death. _

_Because he is unable to harm anybody with Hellsing blood, I've decided to be merciful and unchain the creature. Of course though, he is still confined to the basement. I don't want him harming the help. _

* * *

Integral looked up when Walter set a tea tray before her and gave him a nod of gratitude. Idly, her eyes wandered to the empty bookstand in the glass case. That was where the Grimoire usually lay.

The Grimoire, with its vellum pages and leather binding, had been passed down through the generations since the sixteenth century. It contained instructions for almost any magical act one would wish to perform, from drawing protective wards to casting fertility spells. What it did not contain was the spell to enslave vampires.

Integral had been bluffing when she threatened to seal Seras. She didn't know the spell. Sometime before she had obtained the Grimoire, several pages had been torn out, all of those written in the twentieth century. The sealing spell was one of them although thankfully, instructions on how to control the vampires were not.

Only those of Hellsing blood could even touch the Grimoire so Integral suspected that it was her Uncle Richard who tore the pages missing pages out. Her uncle did not agree with Hellsing's ideals. He did not believe that Hellsing should hunt all vampires but instead act as a police force that caught and imprisoned vampires who killed humans. He was so adamant on gaining control of Hellsing for his goals that he had threatened to kill Integral. In fright, she ran into the dungeons, where she woke Alucard by accident and shot Richard. Integral wondered what Alucard would think if he knew that he had helped her kill the one person who would have given him his precious freedom.

* * *

_Luthor's Journal_

_10 June 1914_

_I finally managed to contact the vampire Selene that Alucard had me search for. As he tells me, she is the only surviving daughter of the original vampire. That means that she is likely to be frighteningly powerful. However, it seems she is weak in personality. Just from the telegraph that I received, I could feel her desperation for Alucard's freedom. I suspect that they are lovers. _

_I went down into the dungeon to tell him the news when I heard a woman's moans. I rushed into the room, thinking that Alucard had managed to lure a maid down there and was draining her. I wish I were correct. What I found instead was my wife undressed and in his arms. I am haunted by her crying and shameful face as she rushed out of the room. _

_That bastard Alucard. He used his vampiric powers to seduce my Jessica. I gave him hell. He dared to suggest that he didn't do anything, that she had sought him out because I neglected her. I chained him back up and unleashed my anger upon him. I wish I didn't. In the time I was down in the dungeon, Jessica had taken poison. My Jessica. Why did she do that? I know it wasn't her fault. I would always love her. Didn't she know that?_

* * *

_17 June 1914_

_I've decided to take revenge. I have a plan set up and the vampire Selene is going for it. I have demanded the heads of her sister's sons. She grudgingly agreed. Little does she know that I don't plan on keeping up my end of the bargain. When she comes to claim her prize, I will enslave her and her little band of rogue vampires. I've decided what shall be done with the enslaved vampires. I will force them to hunt their kin. _

* * *

**_Historical notes concerning the first scene. _**

_Since the early 14__th__ century, rule of Wallachia (the principality of Romania that Dracula ruled) was passed along the noble House of Basarab. Early in the next century, the house was split in two, the House of Danesti and the House of Draculesti, both of which claimed legitimacy and would vie for rule of Wallachia until the 17__th__ century. Dracula was from the House of Draculesti. _

_As explained above, 'dracul' means 'dragon.' It was a title carried by members of the Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order for the nobility of Europe. Vlad II, the father of Vlad III Tepes (who Bram Stoker based his vampire on), was in the Order so was called Vlad II Dracul. Because 'dracula' means 'son of the dragon,' Vlad Tepes also was called Vlad Dracula._

_Vlad Dracula's first marriage was to a noblewoman whose name was forgotten by history so for my own pleasure, I named her Catherine. He had a grandson who would also rule Wallachia, named Mircea III who also had the title, Dracul. He in turn had a son named Alexandru II Mircea. Logically, Alexandru, who married a woman named __Catherine Salvarezi,__ could also be called Alexandru Dracula. _


	20. Chapter 19

* * *

The tea was cold by the time Integral bothered to take a sip but it barely registered in her mind. She drank her extravagant tea not to savor its rich aroma but to distract herself with the simple actions associated with it. There were two more journals to be read but Integral was hesitant to pick the next one up.

Reading the journals should have been the first thing she had done after becoming the head of Hellsing. _Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it_ after all. She shouldn't have relied on her father's retelling of history, edited for a child's ears, for all these years. _Luthor brought vampires into Hellsing service through an agreement with Selene,_ he father said. More like, _Luthor brought vampires into Hellsing by force after a raw deal with Selene led to her death. _

Being the extraordinarily logical person that she was, Integral applauded Luthor for his cunning. However, a strange and small part of her was disgusted with him. He committed many "evils" but he thought himself righteous to the end. For the first time in her life, Integral had to wonder if she was really as virtuous as she thought that she was.

_Hellsing will soon fall for our fathers' mistakes, _Great Grandfather Henry said.Was the manipulation of Selene the mistake that he was speaking of? Or was it the enslavement of vampires? Or was it forcing them to kill their kin? Or was it their mistreatment? With all that Luthor alone did, the choices were overwhelming.

gathering the courage, Integral put down her cup and picked up the next journal, the journal of Luthor's son and her great grandfather, Henry.

* * *

_Henry's Journal_

_18 November 1918 _

_It is a sad occasion that I start this journal. Yes, it is what you think. I am now the head of Hellsing. _

_Yesterday, my father was murdered. When Father didn't come down for breakfast, I went to search for him. I eventually found him in his office on the couch with tea for two and the Hellsing Dagger in his heart. At least we know that he wasn't murdered for control of the family. _

_Uncle John is missing. So is little Ana. I suspect that the rumors about Ana really being his daughter are true and that he left with her. John is now dead to me but little Ana, how I wish her back. I will miss her smiling face and without her here, I am now alone. No mother, no father, no sister, no family. The mansion feels much colder. _

_Despite my grief, I was able to conduct business superbly, if I may say so myself. So well, in fact, the all the servants look at me in fear. I suspect that half believe that my seeming apathy is a sign of impending insanity while the other half believes that I murdered Father myself. Perhaps I am insane._

_I somewhat undermined Father's wishes. When Selene went into battle with Rosiel, she had only taken her sons, leaving the rest of her small coven at the mansion for their protection. Little did she know that Father would seal and torture them in her absence. He told them lies about how Selene had abandoned them and managed to break most of their spirits. I told him that it was wrong but Father would not listen._

_I unchained the vampires and told them, "I'm sorry that my father has mistreated you and I am sorry that he has bound you to the family but there is nothing I can do about either." _

_It's not really true. I could free them. It's just that I am sure freedom would return their spirits in a heartbeat and then they would not hesitate to kill me. _

_Instead of forcing them all to hunt their own kind under pain of torture like Father had planned to do, I gave the vampires a choice. I said, "I will give you all a choice. You can all be sealed into a deep sleep because I will not kill you or have you suffer, or you can choose to stay awake with the agreement that you shall aid in the Hellsing Organization's holy mission of protecting mankind from the dangers of immortal beings. If you choose the latter, I will have certain expectations. First is that you will not kill when you drink. Anybody who does will be slain. Second, is that you bring me at least one vampire head per month. Anybody who fails this will be sealed to sleep. Although killing may seem distasteful to you, I remind you that you are Selene's descendants and assure you that my father lied when he said that she had abandoned you. She fought bravely for you all but Rosiel and his followers murdered her and her sons. By hunting vampires outside of this organization, you are gaining vengeance."_

_Of the seventeen vampires there, ten agreed to the terms while seven wished to be sealed. After the sealings were done, I dismissed the group, allowing them out into the night for the first time in months but Alucard remained. _

"Y_ou have grown to be just as deceitful as your father," Alucard said. "After I bring kill Rosiel, your clan will be the next to fall. It doesn't matter that I can't directly harm the family. I will find a way. Mark my words. This mansion will be a glorious inferno and you will all burn."_

_I was so afraid that I could not speak. I did the only thing that I could think of, and that was to nod. _

* * *

_30 November 1918_

_I find it interesting that although Alucard threatened my entire family, he is protective of me. He says it's because he will not allow the Hellsing line to end unless he planned for it but I hope the truth is that it's because he is fond of me. I dread the day when he no longer stands by my side. _

_Tonight, I accepted a rogue vampire into my office while Alucard was by my side to protect me, of course. Her name was Marigold and I was quite surprised to see that she had the appearance of a child. I really don't see how any vampire could turn a child. But that is another matter. The little vampire had __come because she knew of Hellsing's objectives and said that she whole-heartedly supported it. She wanted to join but I told her that I would think about it and that she could come back in a week. _

_I asked Alucard what he thought of Marigold but he could not give me an answer. It seems like he doesn't know very many vampires. Although he was close to Selene, the only clan member that he knew was Analie. _

_When I asked the other vampires about Marigold, they all gave me strong negative reactions. They tell me that she is a horrible vampire. They say that she values human lives more than vampiric lives, believing that nobody has the right to a second life so vampires should not complain when it is taken from them. They say that she will do anything to get what she wants, including murdering her kin, which she had done before. That was the reason that she was banished from the coven. I will have to confirm these facts but the other vampires' words make me think that she would be a loyal servant amenable to Hellsing's more underhanded operations. _

* * *

_10 July 1940_

_German planes flew over London today. They didn't drop bombs. It was worse, they dropped werewolves. They landed after being dropped from the sky without a parachute and were unharmed. Immediately, they started running amuck through London during the day and were the cause of untold damage and death before night fell and our vampires were able to eliminate them. Unfortunately, they wiped out a good chunk of our vampiric forces. We were ill-prepared to fight them. The last time that we were forced to fight against a werewolf was in 1776 and that one was insane. _

_I wonder how the Germans were able to control true werewolves and turn them into such monsters. They always hated to be involved in human affairs and hid their presence wonderfully. And they were always surprisingly gentle creatures despite their appearance. How did the Nazis control them? Through magic like we control the vampires? _

_I don't know why Father kept Uriel alive but I am glad that he did. If ever I need help with the human troops, I can always seek advice from him. His military expertise is commendable. I've put the sealed vampires in his care. Their presence leads the new vampires to ask uncomfortable questions. I know that Uriel will protect them well. He's quite powerful despite his disability. He uses his vampiric powers to see in a way. It's quite fascinating._

_Of the original sealed vampires, only three are left; Alucard, Uriel, and Analie. They are the only ones who witnessed firsthand the evils of my father. I'm relatively sure that they won't tell the new vampires though. I've been insisting that the seals are just safeguards in the event that bloodlust should cause them to rampage. Two believed me and were willingly sealed. Alucard takes amusement in how I manipulate them, none of the other vampires know of Uriel's existence, and Analie only speaks when I command her to. _

_How I hate Analie. She is always a constant reminder of my father's evil. It's as if she does not have a soul anymore. She finds no joy in anything. If she's so unhappy, she should just die. I wish she would. Then I wouldn't feel such guilt. I used to think that my pure soul alone could pay for my father's sins and that the rest of the family should be spared. However, I wonder if I have become just as corrupt as he was. Alucard looks at me as if I am. _

* * *

Henry's journal visibly shook as Integral put it down on the table. She had not been this afraid since her father's death and could not help but hate herself for it. Fear was a weakness, a worthless and crippling emotion that Integral thought she had rid herself of long ago. Obviously not because she was now sitting there, shaking like a leaf. It was ridiculous that a threat remembered and written down in a journal could evoke such fear. However, Integral could actually see and hear Alucard making it, his voice cold and malicious and with a slight smirk painted on his lips.

Integral's father had always said that the vampire Rosiel should never be hunted and that his whereabouts should always be kept hidden. She had assumed that it was so that the vampires would always be driven by vengeance to cooperate with the organization. However, she now suspected that it was because he didn't want Alucard to complete his first quest for vengeance and turn his eyes to the family.

It seems like Alucard was finally making good on the threat. The apocalypse was coming at the end of the year and if she had never read this journal, she never would have known why. Rosiel was still alive, true, but for how long Integral would not know although perhaps Alucard had decided to skip that step.

In the past, whenever Alucard had free time, he would spend it in Integral's office. That was until he brought home his little fledgling, Seras Victoria. He then spent his nights training her. He had seemed strangely attached to the little thing so when Agent Victoria disappeared and he did not return to her side, she had thought that he was just grieving. She had Marigold spy on him just to make sure and she had reported that he did not engage in any suspicious activity. He just spent his nights observing the city.

Alucard must have a plan set up for her demise. Surely he would not let her be killed by anybody else's machinations or actions but his own. It must be that Alucard wasn't at her side to force her to protect herself. Then, when the time of her fall came, he would laugh at how weak and helpless she was. He would say that all of her seeming strength actually came from him, that without him, she was worthless. And he would be right.

* * *

The image that Walter saw when he entered Integral's personal study made his heart ache. Integral was curled up asleep in her favorite chair, legs brought up to her chest in the fetal position. Since a young child, Integral had been trained to maintain an icy cold mask of strength. It was now so easy for her, it was unconscious. However, whatever has been bothering her lately must be something great to shake her and make her forget herself so.

Walter reached into Integral's coat pocket and gently pulled out what was known to be the Hellsing Dagger. The dagger hummed sweetly when it was pulled out of its sheath and Walter brought the stiletto up to his eyes. The blade was simple unadorned silver but anybody who knew anything about weaponry could tell its value. It was balanced perfectly although Walter doubted that it was ever meant to see battle.

The dagger was resheathed and slipped into one of Walter's pockets. In a surprising show of strength considering his age, Walter easily picked Integral up bridal style, letting her rest against his chest. Integral gave a low groan upon being moved but didn't wake. She would wake undressed in her bed the next morning, the dagger on her nightstand.

* * *

Joyous humming echoed throughout the wide and illustrious halls of decadent maisonette but half of its occupants frowned at the sound. The servants knew that it was the song of the siren that their master had brought home, skipping down the halls for some reason or another.

Rena knew what all the servants thought of her but could not bring herself to care. They called her a vamp, amusingly enough, and thought she was out for Eshel's fortune. It was not true though. Before she moved in, she didn't know that he was the heir to a successful company that his maternal grandfather founded or that he lived in such a luxurious place on Westminster's exclusive Hyde Park Gardens.

Eshel made Rena feel like a new woman and it was reflected in her new wardrobe. When he finally convinced her to allow him to take her shopping, Rena shied away from her usual choice of restricting dresses and high heels in favor of the modern woman's jeans, sweaters, and flats. No longer did she need to sacrifice her comfort to serve a man. She was now loved and thought of as an equal so when Eshel bought her her first pair of pants, she was so touched, she almost cried.

Rena frowned and cursed the maids for tidying up Eshel's desk as she ran her hand down the spines of the towering book stack they had left there, trying to find the little poetry book she was reading earlier. She finally found it, second to the bottom of the stack and tried to slide it out. However, when she touched the book on the bottom of the stack, a burning pain shot from her fingertips and traveled up her arm. With a yelp, Rena reflexively withdrew her hand, causing the whole stack to fall onto the floor.

"What's wrong?" Eshel asked out of breath, having run up down the hallway after hearing Rena's yelp and the crash.

"That book. I don't know. There's something strange about that book," Rena replied hesitantly, pointing to the heavy leather-bound book lying on the otherwise cleared desktop.

Eshel walked over to scoop the book up into his arms. "Sorry about that. I should put this away. It burns anybody who's not a Hellsing."

"Hellsing? Your're a Hellsing?" Rena asked, horrified. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Eshel stiffened, realizing his mistake and slid the book into a drawer of the desk. Hesitantly, he raised his head to regard Rena's panicked expression.

"Yeah, my real name's Hermes Hellsing. And please don't look so betrayed. After all, you never told me that you're a vampire."

In her first show of vampiric ability in Eshel's presence, Rena grabbed him by the neck and slammed him down onto the desktop.

"What were you playing at, Hellsing?" Rena growled, her eyes swimming with an assortment of emotions. "Did you think you could play with me like a toy? Were you trying to make me drop my guard so that you could enslave me, pig?"

Eshel coughed and tried futilely to pry the hand from his throat. "I wasn't playing at anything. If I wanted to do something, I would have by now," he choked.

Rena relaxed her grip on Eshel's throat but kept her hand there, holding him in place. Although she wished it, even faced with his treachery, Rena could never bring herself to harm him.

"I'm not the only one who hid who they are," Eshel continued. "I know who you really are. You ran away from an abusive man to find love. You didn't want a man who would use you to gain immortality so tried to pass as a human. If I can see past what you are, why can't you see past my name? I know you are a vampire but isn't it enough that I don't want your immortality but love you anyways?"

Althoguh her brain told her that Eshel's declaration of love was false, meant to confuse and ensnare her in his trap, her heart told her that he was true. Caught between the battle of brain and heart, Rena's eyes teared.

"I should go," Rena whispered, hesitatingly releasing Eshel and stepping backwards. Just as she was about to escape from the room using her vampiric speed, Eshel grabbed her outstretched hand.

"No, please stay," he said. "I want you to understand. I want to read to you from my Uncle Arthur's journal. I want you to know the true evils of the Hellsing family and why I don't want to be a part of it. And then, I would like to read to you from my father's journal. I want to share with you the wisdom that that my father has instilled in me."

Time ticked by and Eshel let out a sigh of relief when Rena nodded.

* * *

_AN: Whew. We are finally done with Hellsing history. I'm not actually going to write what Arthur did. Anyways, from now on, the war machine starts rolling. Or rather, it shifts into higher gear. A few _

_chapters to get the pawns into place and then the final battle commences. I've already got the whole battle planned out and I am EXCITED. I want to just skip to the battle but I can't just jump three months. Or can I? _


End file.
